


The Chosen Ones

by MichelleFPechs



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Rebels, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Star Wars Fusion, Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, Alternate Universe - Wizards, Alternative Universe - Futuristic Distopia, F/M, Tecnological Distopia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-17 21:48:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 6
Words: 31,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28856112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MichelleFPechs/pseuds/MichelleFPechs
Summary: Warning, sickness, memories of loneliness.
Relationships: Rey & Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 6
Kudos: 7
Collections: Reylo





	1. The Escape

**Author's Note:**

> Warning, sickness, memories of loneliness.

The world as they knew is a mass of land surrounded by an infinite sea that reached the borders of the universe. There, humans will live from the earth, as wide and diverse as the climates that ruled them: deep forest at the North, snowy mountains at the West, burning desserts at the East, farmlands at the South. Coruscant, a valley covered with ever-higher streets and buildings that seemed to graze the sky, and in it centre was the government palace where the Governor of the Kingdom controlled everything that happened on their lands and maintained strict control over the Jedi Wizards, those humans who are born with a direct connection to the secrets of the cosmos, a primal energy that allowed them to perform incredible things, feared and admired feats.

Their world was simple, peaceful, until fifty years ago when a ruthless man and his army invaded his lands and changed his story forever. With him, the habitants of the Kingdom discovered that on the other side of the ocean that surrounded them stretched an identical land that was governed by electricity, an invention as magical on its own as unthinkable, creating things impossible to believe, floating boats as big as cities, metal men who possessed intelligence, cold campfires that didn’t go extinct.

But those history lessons are useless now, for her today is the day 1825. Trying not to move her back, she pulls out the rudimentary knife made of a twisted piece of iron and a shred of cloth for a handle, and makes another mark on the wall next to her cot, completely stripped by the marking of each day she has been held there. The mouldy cement roof is already a large black spot, the air filed with spores so small that they’re almost imperceptible. “Rey…” grazes the edges of her thoughts, her hazelnut eyes sparkle in the darkness when she hears him calling her by name, regretfully must be the product of her deepest desires.

She takes a deep breath, the smell of moisture and clay became the only quiet experience in those five years. That cell of mouldy stones walls went from being her torment to her refuge in that forgotten place beneath the earth. Outside, an infinite expanse of cells mutated day by day into a city of prisoners, slaves, exiles, the outcasts of a city and a Kingdom that would never be the same again. Endless exotic and nauseating aromas mingled with the voices of thousands of people with their tired gaze, their sick countenance, their broken hopes, looking for any excuse to hold on and believe it’s still worth living.  
After years of confinement, imprisoned for crimes they never committed, those prisoners had become increasingly docile, accepting that new fate they called life. Thus, they created in the precariousness of their existence an underground city, but from which they couldn’t leave or change. The guards required less time walking through the corridors of the always open cells, while the inhabitants greeted them with affection as if they’re their protectors.

Everyone around her seemed pleased with their destiny, of that life underground, the inverted mirror of the city that certainly stood above their heads, ignorant of their fate. There, the prisoners moved in the perpetual shadows of oblivion, removed not only from the streets and houses of the surface but even from history; and thinking about it made Rey feel increasingly crazy.

She would never settle for that life. As a child, in the Jakku Desert, she had surrendered to that life at the shadows under the machines of the Great War, that life as a scavenger rescuing pieces of the metal beasts that had fallen from the sky when the invaders brought the so-called ‘technology’ to that Kingdom where magic roamed free on the earth. But after having come out of there and knowing the principles of the ancient Jedi Wizards, there was no turning back; and she knew there was a better life out there waiting for her, outside Coruscant, she just needed to find a way to escape.

Five years ago, Rey thought she was so close to finding the full freedom she had always longed for the Kingdom of that nefarious force that had seized the government and all their lives, her life, but also him. Those golden-brown eyes, his white complexion, his shiny black hair, a long scar crossing his face harshening his features, his fleshy lips curved in a half-smile pronouncing her name: “Rey...”

“No more!” Rey said aloud, briefly overshadowing the hustle and bustle of people coming under the heavy wooden and metal door. Thinking about Ben made her feel worse; annoyed turning over her rusty cot to look at the cell, ignoring the desperate rats licking her plate of food, the only one she will receive for the rest of the day.

The worst thing was being aware that five years ago she had lost not only her freedom but also her magical powers and the connection that intertwined their minds as one, merging their powers as one entity, making them the most powerful entities prophesied by the first Jedi Wizards and whom everyone feared. So much magical power contained in one mind had brought to madness several wizards over the centuries, their effects so devastating that none of them survived. But their connection disappeared at the very moment both of them buried their swords in the chest of that deformed tyrant, as tall as two men, his haggard face marked under the edge of the sword of the last Jedi Grandmaster, Luke Skywalker.

At the exact moment, she extracted her sword and that man’s blood spilt on her worn-out leather boots, she felt the force that guided her there vanished inside her, filling her once again with emptiness and pain. Ben looked at her one last time, the golden of her eyes becoming opaque, taking his claymore and pointing it at her, looking all over the room for something he didn’t seem to find.

His black armour glowed beneath the torches hanging from the polished stone walls, his footsteps rumbling over the footsteps of soldiers who broke into the throne room, that ancient cast-iron, a volcanic stone chair that occupies Emperor Snoke’s lifeless body, his golden ropes glimmering under the shadows. The guards polished armour was so bright that it looks white compared to the darkness around them, blinding her for a few seconds. Time doesn’t move, all stopped in that moment of confusion, her heart beating hard and rumbling in her ears.

This time it’s Kylo Ren, the Emperor’s Right Hand, who yells at her from the other side of the throne: “Where’s he?”

“Who?” asked Rey as one guard place shackles on her ankles and other handcuffs her wrists. “Ben, what does this mean?”

“WHERE’S THE CHILD?” yelled Kylo Ren using his claymore, black steel and blood-red handle, to smash a large oak table where the forgotten remains of an opulent dinner rested.

“I have no idea who you’re talking about,” responded Rey realizing that once again she had been used, a simple puppet at the service of the ambition of others. She feels broken, she had believed in each and every one of her promises, to the idea of beginning a new life in the countryside away from the courts and the restrictions imposed by the Jedi Wizards upon discovering that she possessed magical powers superior to anyone, even the ancient masters.

“Take her to the dungeons.” Those were the last words she heard from him, sentencing the rest of her days.

Every morning, before dawn, one of the elite soldiers known as the Knights of Ren would visit her cell to move her to the interrogation room, or torture chamber to be precise, where each one of her body parts was torn apart, lacerated, burned, broken; trying to snatch information about "The Chosen One" that she didn’t know, and it didn’t matter how much she begged and pleaded, it didn’t seem to alter the determination of those men, who looked satisfied as long as they could see her in agony.

A few months ago, just as the presence of the guards inside the catacombs practically stopped, the morning visits of the Knights of Ren began to last less, inflicting lesser pain during their sessions, until last month when the torture had ceased altogether. Her body was a collection of scars, so many of them that new ones covered healed ones, the silent witness of the martyrdom imposed on her. She had lost track of the times she had heard her bones break, and it was easier to count the parts of her skin that aren’t marked, and at least her nails had grown properly this time.

Despite all the torture, seclusion and abandonment deep within the dungeons, a part of her was reluctant to believe that Ben had betrayed her in that way. Something else must have happened on the throne room for Ben to lose his mind like that, but what?

“Miss Johnson, may I come in?” The soft voice takes her out of her thoughts. A young man with golden hair and blue eyes opens the door quietly. He’s dress in the typical beige clothes from the farmers of the Tatooine Desert, now a bit too short due to his growth during their imprisonment. A dreamy-eyed young man looms, looking for her unlucky in the dark.

“Come on in Lucas. What’s the matter? Is everything all right?” Rey greets him, fitting the neck of her dark grey robe, the cloth worn and stained for the 1795 days in which she’s been tortured. The trousers are just the shreds of cloth and no shoes, her boots had been lost as soon as they locked her in the dungeons. As if it’s a ritual, she takes her long tangled hair and tries the best as she can to tie it in her usual three buns.

“I was wondering if you’re in the mood to go out and celebrate,” tells the young man offering a loaf of bread with a piece of what appears to be Bantha’s cheese.

“Celebrate? What’s there to celebrate?” Rey interrupts him, standing with some difficulty, convinced that one of the vertebrae in her lower back had welded badly, as she struggled to get it back upright again if she spent a lot of time bent.

“The soldiers opened the entrance of the dungeons,” says Luke giving her the bread carefully not to spill anything, looking at her with regret. “Everyone’s in and out, bringing things from the surface.”

“Are you sure about that?” Rey asks him with her mouth full, the bread and cheese taste the same as those she ate on Ben’s parents’ farm at Hanna City, in the Chandrila province, surrounded by endless orchards and animals roaming free through the meadow.

“Yes! I went out myself, but Chewie made me come back right away. Luckily I could get you an extra piece of food,” confesses Lucas looking a little embarrassed. That young man’s the closest thing to a friend for the past four years.

“Thank you for thinking of me... But you know, Chewie’s right,” responds Rey cleaning her hands on her clothes. “Out there must be a hotbed of people.”

“For what I could hear, they said that the reign of Emperor Snoke’s Right Hand had culminated...”

“Is Kylo Ren no longer the governor?” Rey interrupts him, shortening the distance between them. The young man blinks nervously. No one used to say that name out loud, believing that brings bad luck, others asseverate that pronouncing his name was the source of his powers. Rey only could smile hearing the prisoners squeal in fear if she ever dared to curse his name out loud.

“That’s what I understood. Also, throughout all the city there’re rewards poster for information regarding the whereabouts of The Chosen One,” explains Lucas pulling out of his pockets a piece of paper with a drawing of the lost child’s face and hands it to her.

Rey has to make an effort to stand still and not fall on his back. Her impression wasn’t due to the one million credits reward, more than enough to remake her life; but because that sketch’s the faithful reproduction of Lucas's face. That couldn’t be true, that kid had been in the dungeons for years before she occupied the cell next to him.

“Did anyone see you? Any guards? Where’s Chewbacca?” Rey asks him with despair, folding the paper and hiding it inside the front folds of her robe.

“I don’t think so. The only one that seemed nervous was Chewie,” answers Lucas, whistling with his fingers. Through the door comes a large brown dog with long tangled fur, a thick necklace of metal pieces could be seen on its neck.

From the first time Rey saw that dog in the dungeons, she knew there’s something magical about it, even though she no longer had her powers to confirm it. That dog possessed an intelligence superior to all conventionalisms, added that it seemed not to age, always agile and strong. With some difficulty due to her back pain, she kneels in front of the animal waiting next to the young man.

“Chewie, are you protecting him?” Rey asks the dog; Lucas genuinely doesn’t understand this situation. The dog tilts his head affirmatively. “Is he in danger?” She asks and the dog nods once more.

“Miss Johnson, what’s going on?” The young man dares to ask, stroking the animals head nervously.

“Chewie, do we need to get out of here?” Rey insists, the dog nodding once more, confirming her worst fears. Without much more thought, she gets up and takes her knife, squeezing the handle fabrics so they don’t get loose if she is forced to use it.

“Rey...” Lucas whispers, terrified to see her cling to the dagger.

“Chewie, can you lead us to a safe place?” Rey unties her leather belt and ties it to the dog’s collar, who nods again in response to her question.

“Lucas, I don’t know how to begin to explain it, but it seems that the ancient gods crossed our destinies for a reason. I may not be as strong as the shadow of the Jedi Wizards, but I swear I’ll do my best to keep you safe,” says Rey tying the other end of the leather belt on the young man’s wrist, who looks at her looking for answers she doesn’t have.

“What’s going on?” Lucas insists once again, to frighten to move.

“Chewie, now!” Rey orders and the dog immediately runs out the cell, dragging Lucas, who instinctively grabs her hand so that they don’t get separated.

The dog doesn’t stop, taking them through the long corridors full of people eating and drinking like never before in their miserable lives. No one seemed to repair in a dissonant couple carried by an immense brown animal advancing towards the entrance, the gates wide open, showing the sun-drenched stone steps. With each step rising his bare feet burning with heated rocks, but after thousand nights numbed by the cold, that burning sensation was a blessing.

When they reach the top of the stairs, she starts to cry. Blinded by her tears and the intensity of light, Rey stops, letting the warmth of the sunlight cover her, sneaking through each one of her scars and filling her with hope once again. To her regret, she can’t stay there much longer. Lucas pulls her and she keeps running beside him.

Her vision’s completely collapsed by the brilliance of the street and the bright colour clothes of the people swirling in the streets, all screaming, all drinking, all celebrating. The sounds are completely confusing, millions of voices overlapping each other, music reverberating with such intensity that it resonates with a terrifying force inside her chest. At the moment, all Rey has left’s to trust that Chewbacca knew where it’s taking them.

After what seems a long time running nonstop, the temperature of the air changes and because the sounds are accompanied by echoes of themselves let Rey know that they’ve entered some kind of building. It has to be a wide space made up of long corridors because the blurry figures graze them and loud voices surrounding them. Every time she felt someone extremely close, she squeezed her knife ready to fight. This time it’s the artificial lights that wouldn’t let her eyes heal, amplifying her claustrophobic sensation. The only thing that made her keep going’s Lucas holding her hand with an overwhelming force.

Luckily, those long years living in the shadows taught her how to move without relying on her vision. Even without her powers, Rey could feel her body responding in anticipation to the slightest pressure changes around them, beginning to predict when someone unexpectedly cut them off, when the corridor they’re walking through’s ending and they went into what appears to be a large open space inside that building.

As they walked into what’s supposed to be the fifth corridor, the voices around them begging to become calmer, more measured, less cheerful and certainly more nervous as they pass by. The heavy steps of the dog rumble more strongly, although doesn’t completely blur scraps of the conversations around them.

“They say the Emperor’s Right Hand hasn’t recovered...”

“General Hux claims to know the whereabouts of The Chosen One...”

“My friends in the Imperial Court confessed to me that Hux keeps the Emperor’s Right Hand locked up...”

“Her dad told them that there’s a massive escape from the dungeons...”

“Mom! Look! The prisoners came this far...”

Rey must make an effort to stay calm and run beside the dog, she doesn’t want to raise her voice. “Chewie... We need to hide. We’re drawing too much attention.”

Immediately the dog starts running, pulling them hard changing its direction, Lucas stumbling several times and Rey holds him tightly to avoid crashing. Now they’re advancing through a darker place, allowing her eyes to perceive more details.

They’re in an area of the city she had never been before. It’s the upper-class district, the floors were made of white marble, the lamps are pure glass illuminating with that invention called ‘electricity’. Even after fifty years of domination by the Empire, those objects were unattainable for most of the lower class. She only knew those things when she arrived at Solo’s family farm to educate herself as a Jedi Wizard.

In that place, everything was controlled with electricity. Metal men walked with women dressed in clothes so delicate that they seemed to float in the air. Men travelling on silver plates that glided on their own without the help of animals. Lucas seems just as surprised as she’s, looking everywhere with marvel, but as they go along, they notice how all the inhabitants of that neighbourhood look at them more closely, as frightened as curious.

“Put your face down and don’t look at them,” Rey manages to tell Lucas, all that running is taking her breath away, her muscles had weakened considerably in her all those years of isolation. She doesn’t understand why Chewbacca’s taking them there, that would’ve been the last place she could’ve thought to find shelter.

Without warning, the dog gets in a narrow hallway leading them to what appears to be a shop’s service doors. Being behind the buildings the lights are less intense, allowing Rey to see more clearly. One of the back doors is open and two young men are distracted talking next to it without even noticing their presence.

“Lucas, hide here with Chewie. I’ll be right back,” Rey orders him, letting go of his hand with some difficulty, as the young man resists.

“No! Rey, they may recognize you,” insists Lucas, but Rey manages to let go completely.

“Everything will be fine. I’ll be right back.” Rey doesn’t give him another chance to grab her, marching at a good pace towards the employees, who stop talking to see her from top to bottom. They’re well dressed, their skins are so white that they look bluish, their hair’s bright black and their eyes dark red, as Ben had once told her that the natives of the Csilla look like, a city at the deeps of the Empire.

“Pardon me. Could you help a couple of newly released prisoners in despair?” Rey speaks as softly as she can, walking hunched over, hiding the knife behind her, just in case.

The men look at her again with suspicion, until the eldest of the two chiss gets up and approaches a few steps, but as soon as he smells her, he recoils immediately. “Uff! What do you need?” He says to her, covering the nose with his hands.

“A couple of discarded cloaks to shelter us from the cold, and some old shoes that no one wants,” explains Rey pointing vaguely at Lucas, who remains in the shadows.

“Spiker, make sure they don’t leave. I’ll be right back,” commands the oldest chiss man entering the backroom.

“Did they really let you all out?” Spiker asks her without malice, biting a piece of bread.

Rey's mouth is watering immediately and that seems to convince the young chiss that she’s not lying to them. “That seems so. We didn't stay long enough to find out.” She replies, sliding the knife into the folds of her robe.

“You’re lucky Baldarek’s the manager on duty today. Otherwise, my father would’ve called the imperial soldiers already,” says Spiker smiling at her, throwing the piece of bread he had left, Rey taking it with agility in the middle of the air and engulfing it quickly. “Where’re you going?” asks the young chiss asks her.

“Hopefully home,” responds Rey swallowing hard, realizing that the only home she could return to was her hut in the Jakku Desert. 

Baldarek comes out of the backroom with two long brown capes, somewhat discoloured but intact, and short boots stained with red paint. “Here you go,” says the manager throwing the things to the floor in front of her.

Even if Rey would’ve seen this gesture as an insult back in the day, today she can only be grateful. “Thank you very much!” She says smiling, both chiss looking at her with some surprise.

“I recommend you follow this path to avoid getting more attention in the main street,” adds Spiker pointing to the alley across the store, which went deep into the city.

Rey nods, putting on the boots and passing the cape over her shoulders. Takes the second cloak and throws it on Lucas, making sure that the hood covers part of his face and can’t be recognized.

Chewbacca resumes the race immediately. This time it’s Re who grabs Lucas by the wrist, her feet ache terribly, adjusting once again to being locked up. The dog continues advancing until they reach a well-lit avenue, the sun sneaking between the great skyscrapers.

That city was a paradox by itself. It was the product of technology brought by those strange conquerors who came down from the heavens and plunged the burning kingdom. Since the day Emperor Palpatine took control of Coruscant before the Great War, all provinces suffered the ravages of the overproduction to meet the needs of the capital, only to be razed thirty years later when the Resistance raised to repel the invaders.

However, the inventions brought by them endured in the Kingdom, especially in Coruscant, where the inhabitants of the upper classes were reluctant to return to a simpler life. That division would open the path for Snoke to conquer them, making it almost impossible for the newly founded Republic to survive this new attack. Twenty-five years ago, in the Three-Day War, Snoke seized power.

Despite their attempts to convince the deposed governor’s children to join the newly refunded Empire, Luke Skywalker and his twin sister, Leia Organa Skywalker, refused, doing their best to keep the Resistance and the Kingdom alive. The years passed without pause taking their hopes until the rumour of an alleged prophecy began to spread through the shadows of the Kingdom, in which "The Chosen One" would arrive at Coruscant possessing the powers of the ancient Jedi Wizards and would be the one who ended the rule the Empire once and for all. Everybody believed that Luke Skywalker was the person the prophecy was talking about. He just not was the leader of the Resistance, bus also the new leader of new Grand Master Jedi Wizards. Sadly, he died ten years ago at the hands of Snoke, but even after his death, the rumours of the prophecy expanded to every corner of the Kingdom, everybody sure that must be a great wizard how safe them from the control of the Empire.

Rey feels the world falling under her feet when Chewbacca crosses a street on the left taking them to a huge square where an impressive golden statue of the deposed Emperor Snoke seems to look at them from above. The grandiose of the monument it’s only overlap compared to the immense building that stands behind it, the Imperial Tower. A large black cylinder that seems to get lost in the clouds, its windows so dark that they appeared to be made of metal, and on very few occasions the clouds cleared enough around them to appreciate its total height.

The citizens seemed to evade their shade, not even walking through the square, preferring to stray two blocks away to avoid that ubiquitous structure. By the time she’s about to pull Lucas and dry-brake the dog, Chewie smells the air at half-run and veers to the right, towards an oval-shaped white building where the flow of people seems to head without pause.

“Slow down Chewie!” Rey manages to warn the dog before crossing the street, lowering their faces when they see two guards with white armour walking in front of the Imperial Tower. The dog slows down entering into what Rey discovers is a hospital. The scale of that building’s extraordinary, like a lying skyscraper at its side, all the rooms are open and spacious, the white walls shining as they walk under the bulbs of light that seem to float in the middle of the air.

Once inside, the sounds seem to stop altogether and Rey senses a loud pang at the centre of her mind and a pressure settles within, a feeling she thought had forgotten, and with every step she takes it becomes more intense.

“Are you all right?” Lucas quietly asks her, as he has to pull her to keep walking.

“Yes, it’s nothing,” Rey lies to him, looking at the direction of what appears to be the bottom of the corridor they walked through, more than twenty metal doors lining up describing a perfect arch around a gold fountain. People are in line waiting for their turn to ride one of the elevators that would take them to their destination. They join the back of the line in silence, Rey wondering what to say when it’s their turn, she didn’t know where Chewbacca’s leading them, much less which floor it’s.

They wait what seems a long time, people advance towards a glass counter where a tall woman, her plated hair collected in an intricate bun, her dress in vaporous white cloth seems to float over her body. After detailing the elegant woman, Rey looks down to her robes whose stinking smell must’ve given away where they come from.

l“Floor and room?” asks the elegant receptionist them looking at the large silver plate at the top of the counter, filled with thousands of colourful light bulbs.

“19, 1715,” Rey answers the first thing that crosses her mind.

As she hears her, the elegant woman slowly tilts her head to look at them from top to bottom, while Rey quietly prays that she has done the right thing. “You’re in luck, you still have two hours left for regular visits. Take elevator number 10,” says the receptionist, pressing several of the bulbs that change colour.

Rey nods in response and advances to the doors at the middle of the lobby holding hands with Lucas, who seems to have completely lost his courage, trembling without control beneath his cloak. They stop behind two women dressed in delicate multicoloured translucent dresses and gold bands around their heads, the dress code for the ladies of the Imperial Court. Thinking that it’s best to turn back and find for herself a safe place for Lucas, the elevator opens and Chewie pulls them inside. The walls are made of curvy glass with the view of an impressive internal garden under a glass dome, through which the last sun rays of the bath the plants.

The three of them go to the back, Rey standing in front of Lucas so that he’s hidden behind her. The women seem to ignore them until one of them turns to face them. “Floor?”

“19,” responds Rey squeezing her knife under her cape, not understanding what she did wrong.

“25,” says the older woman, as if that’s the most normal thing. Immediately the elevator doors close and begin to ascend. The ladies of the court resume their conversation in a dialect that Rey fails to identify, although for how they’re dressed they seem natives from the northern city of Naboo, remembering the photos of Ben’s grandmother she once saw at the farm.

All of the sudden, the elevator stops at the 13th floor, the doors opening with an alarm sound coming from the ceiling. Two soldiers in their gleaming white armour draw their swords, the tallest’s a woman with golden hair and white porcelain skin. “Floor and room?” asks the officer asks with a deep rich voice, her blue eyes scanning the ladies of the court first and then nailing them directly at Rey.

Before anyone can react, Rey steps forward extending her hand and concentrating on that pain pressing the centre of her mind, letting herself be carried away by the impossible of feeling him close. “These aren’t the people we’re looking for,” Rey says aloud, passing her hand in front of the guards.

The soldiers remain silent, staring at her strangely, as dazed. The officer, who wears the captain’s badge on her shoulder, holsters her sword first. “These aren’t the people we're looking for,” and the captain repeats for Rey surprise. The spell worked! This’s the first time in five years that she’s able to use her magic. The second guard, a brunette of coarse features, has her gaze nailed to the dog, lowering her sword but not complying to the enchantment yet.

“Thank you, captain. You may go now,” orders the younger lady placing herself in front of Rey, hiding them from the sight of the soldiers. As they listen to her, the guards bow and leave, the elevator doors closing and the alarm finally turns off.

“Thaaanks,” Lucas says from the corner, the ladies turning around to see them.

“No one visits the 19th floor,” explains the older woman, looking suspiciously at the young man. “May the ancient gods protect you boy.”

“19th floor,” announces an ethereal voice echoing inside the elevator. The women move aside and bow their heads as they pass in front of them.

“Thank you,” tells Rey returning the same gesture and the ladies join in their hands in prayer, just as the doors close.

That floor’s deserted, no sign of guards patrolling those corridors. An apprehensive silence surrounds them, slightly broke by their timid steps, which resonate too strongly for their taste. Even Chewbacca seems uncomfortable, walking with its head down, somewhat reluctant to point the way. 

Suddenly, Rey feels a familiar power surrounding her and holding her hand. Like a shadow, a red ribbon appearing on her wrist and floating in the middle of the air, guiding her. Her legs move by themselves, safely carrying her down through that long unknown corridor that curves slightly to the left and seems to have no end, closely followed by Lucas and Chewie.

They advance relentlessly passing in front of a hundred closed doors, with each step that Rey gives she feels euphoric, it’s been so long ago since feeling that power within her; after five years in the shadows, she’s reunited with that mystical force that surrounds and controls everything. She stops at once arriving at her destination without having to read the number 1715 at the door, the red thread disappearing. When Rey reaches out the door it opens inward by itself, emerging from the shadows the least person she believed and the one she expected the most.

*


	2. The Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning, memories of torture, gang rape, violence, sickness, loneliness.

“Rey?!” Ben’s voice comes suddenly, half question and half surprise. He’s barefoot dressed in what looks like a black cotton pyjama. His face is emaciated, he looks skinnier, weaker, the scar on his face deeper than she remembered.

“Ben...” Rey whispers removing her hood, feeling their minds coming together, recognizing each other only for a few seconds, the connection fading right away to leave her empty again.

Ben takes a hesitant step forward noticing Chewie and Lucas’s presence. Recognizing them, anger takes hold of him and Kylo Ren becomes present in front of them, shreds of his black magic emerging around him and surrounding them like a thick mist. “What does this mean?! HOW COULD YOU?!”

Rey crosses paths in front him, protecting Lucas. “How could you think that when I’ve been rotting inside the dungeons all this time?!” She yells at him, disregarding if her voice gives away their presence.

“WHAT?” Kylo Ren dilutes, the black magic mist fading as fast as it formed, giving way once again to Ben, who looks at her completely disturbed. “All these five years?” His voice comes out broken, his face showing the panic that takes hold of his being.

From inside the room comes an elegant woman, her golden brown hair braided in an intricate bow that is somehow familiar, her long dress in light blue steamy fabric and on her head the characteristic golden band for the Imperial Court’s members of staff. “Kylo, you’re not going to introduce me to...” Her words seem to deflate when she lays eyes on Rey and Chewbacca.

“Due to the massive prisoners break from the dungeons, our new Governor, the grand general Hux, has decreed a state of alarm in the Imperial Capital. A curfew takes effect immediately to ensure the safety of our citizens until the situation is under control. All visitors should return to the main lobby as soon as possible to claim their...” Rey doesn’t have time to finish hearing the message from that ethereal voice when Ben grabs her by the arm and pushes her inside of what turns to be a luxurious apartment. The court lady locks the door after Lucas comes in followed by Chewie, growling guarding the young man.

The back wall is a large window overlooking one of the hospital internal gardens. The last lights of the day precariously illuminate the dark grey walls and polished black stone floor. There’re no ornaments on the metal furniture, just a long table surrounded by eight chairs on the left, and in the centre of the room a huge circular glass fireplace surrounded by twelve wide armchairs of black leather.

“How did you escape? Where did you find him?” Ben asks tightly holding her arm. His eyes are completely out of focus as if he’s delirious, his magic escaping out of control by his fingertips, slightly burning her skin.

“Kylo dear, remember what the doctor told you,” says the woman with a soft voice, placing her hands on his shoulders to hold him, in such an intimate way that Rey feels nauseous. That can’t be the safe place Chewie had to bring them to, that doesn’t make any sense.

“Stop the act Kaydel! Don’t you see she’s Rey!” Ben yells looking at her, his eyes shining with what Rey wants to believe’s happiness. That’s her Ben with that half dimple smile, the same one he gave her when they’re alone in the middle of the orchards at the farm outside Hanna City.

Kaydel’s eyes are wide open looking at Rey from head to toe. The lady rushes to the huge window and closes the curtains. “You’re not in a position to act yet!” She warns him, leaving the living room.

“How did you escape? Where did you find him? How did you locate me?” Ben asks her again, so she’s forced to look at him one more time.

“Chewie led us all the way here. Today they opened the dungeons gates. And he’s in the cell next to mine...” Rey can’t finish talking. Ben lets her go approaching Lucas with big strides. Chewbacca cuts him off, giving her a chance to take off her cape and stand in front of Lucas, knife at hand. “Don’t you even think about taking another step!” Rey threatens him seconded by the dog’s growl, showing its teeth.

Ben stops looking directly at Chewie: “I just want to make sure it’s him.”

Lucas removes his hood and moves sideways. “Hello, cousin,” says Lucas waving his hand.

“What’s going on now?” Kaydel asks re-entering the room, leaving the question in the air recognizing Lucas, covering her mouth with her hands to hold out a cry of surprise.

“I haven’t stopped looking for you all these years,” Ben adds looking at the young man with a trembling voice, closing this fits tightly.

“Well, you didn't look very well,” Rey sentences in anger opening the reward poster with Lucas’s face on it. How could he be looking for him if he’d always been locked up, just like her?

Kaydel takes the poster with amazement examining the paper. “Are you sure he's been in the dungeons all this time?” she questions stepping closer to them.

“At least for the five years I’ve been down there...” Rey responds without turning his eyes away from Ben, who seems so fragile, sick, a shadow of the warrior he once was.

“I’ve been in the dungeons for over seven years,” adds Lucas taking Rey’s hand. Feeling it, she holds him tight.

“Seven years!” Ben and Kaydel repeat aloud at the same time. “The assault...” Ben whispers, taking a step back grabbing his chest as if it hurts.

Immediately comes to Rey’s mind the memory of one-night at the farm when Ben returned from his assignment in Coruscant smelling of blood and telling Master Obi-Wan Kenobi that his parents had died. Before she can continue remembering the details of what happened, the voice of the woman reminds her to focus on the present.

“If you give me the number of your cell, I can access the files and determine who ordered your capture and under what charges you’re convicted,” Kaydel asks grabbing a piece of paper and a gold pen from a chessboard.

“My cell didn’t have a number,” answers Lucas his voice still sounds nervous.

“What about Miss Johnson’s cell?” Kaydel insists.

“191715,” Ben responds first than Rey, who looks at him in amazement.

“How?” Rey tries to ask, but her voice barely comes out. Why did he know her cell’s number by heart? Her headache keeps getting stronger by the minute.

“It’s going to be seven o’clock, so we’ve to turn off the lights following the curfew rules,” Kaydel tells them by holding Lucas’s hand. "Let me show you the room where you can rest next to your dog. I’ve got dinner ready, so you can eat if you want to.”

Lucas hesitates, and looking at Chewie nodding immediately he turns to see Rey, squeezing her hand.

“It’s ok, go with her. I’ll be with you in a moment,” Rey affirms him with a half-smile. “Don’t waste time and eat, we’ve run a lot for one day.”

“I’ll save some food for you,” Lucas lets go of her hand and leaves a little reluctantly next to Chewbacca and Kaydel, who turns off the lights in the living room.

After that day saturated with light, Rey's eyes are grateful to return to the shadows. After a few seconds, she’s able to see better her surroundings, the long table of eight tall chairs by the window, the black leather armchairs forming a perfect circle around the glass fireplace that occupies the centre of the living room, Ben’s eyes shining brighter, just a few steps from her. They say nothing, accompanying their breaths with every gasp of air they take, their senses become sharper, allowing her to feel that energy that arose within their being, which seemed to want to unite them once again.

“Rey, I'm deeply sorry...” Ben speaks in a whisper, stepping forward.

“1825 days too late for that,” Rey interrupts him, going back one step to keep the distance between them.

“I signed your exoneration a month from...” Ben adds, taking another step to get closer.

“If by exoneration you mean daily torture sessions,” Rey cuts it off, taking another step back, moving her hand behind her aware that she should already be near one of the armchairs.

“Daily torture sessions? BY WHOM?” Ben’s voice emerges like a roar, his eyes twinkling in the dark, holding her by the arm.

“Stop the act Kylo Ren,” Rey harshly tells him, releasing her arm from his grip. “Your loyal Knights of Ren personally took care of my ‘exoneration’!”

With an impressive speed, Ben shortens the distance between them, Rey having no more choice than dropping herself over the armchair. He corners her placing his arms on the sides of her body, while she presses her knife against his neck.

“I need you to tell me the truth!” Ben insists once again, bringing his face close enough for Rey to feel his breath on her, even though the knife is lightly buried against his skin.

“And what makes you think I’m lying to you? I’ve never done it, and now I’ve nothing left to gain with it,” says Rey lowering the knife and dropping it to the ground, surrendering. She had made it three years ago to take her own life, but she never had the courage to use it and much less against him.

“IMPOSSIBLE! They can’t have done that! Not without my express order!” Ben sentences with rage, his eyes glowing brighter as Rey’s headache becomes more intense, wondering if he’s going inside her memories.

“My body can prove you otherwise,” Rey raises her left arm, where endless scars shine with the light emanating from the chimney.

“Rey...” Ben falls to his knees in front of her, taking her arm to examine it more closely. Rey sits upright, feeling goosebumps do the pain of her back and the sensation of his hands over her hypersensitive skin. “You’re still wearing the same robe.” He says between his teeth, releasing her arm to touch her legs, where the shreds in the trousers showed the freshest marks of the last torture session.

“Sadly, the dungeon’s shops don’t accept broken robes as a form of payment,” Rey responds with spite. 

“I swear! I never wanted this for you,” says Ben examining her, taking off her boots and looking at the frostbite burns on her toes.

“I think that memo didn’t reach your minions down there,” Rey adds picking up his legs and hugging them against her chest. She had dreamed so many times of seeing him again, but she didn’t consider how much it would hurt her.

“What can I do to make you believe me?” Ben tells her with a broken voice, moving aside. “Ask me for anything...”

“Tell me what really happened that day in the throne room,” demands Rey cutting him off.

“Rey…” Ben hesitates, trying to get up, Rey lowering her legs and grabbing him by the shoulders.

“I want you to tell me why you imprisoned Lucas? Tell me why you let me rot in that cell for 1825 days...” She insists, forcing him to stay still.

“Things aren't what they seem...” Ben responds incapable of looking at her.

“1795 continuous days of torture,” says Rey, unable to contain the rage that comes from her bowels, she catches him by the collar of his shirt and shakes him. “1795 days in which there wasn’t an inch of my body that wasn’t hurt!” Those words cause Ben to raise his face in a single grimace of pain. “1825 days believing that you’d abandoned me to my fate...” Tears emerge uncontrolled, cutting off her voice. Rey feels his shaky hands grab her by the shoulders, and she curses herself for wanting to throw herself into his arms. She lets go, no longer having the strength to keep fighting, her whole body shaking with sorrow.

“I was there when Snoke gave the order to intercept my parents. I knew he wanted to kidnap Lucas in revenge for what Luke Skywalker had done to him during the Three-Day War, but above all for the prophecy. I had no proof and we’re so close to overthrowing him, that I couldn’t reveal my identity as Ben Solo... So, I couldn’t do anything, just watch them die fighting for us, giving us a chance to succeed. But in the confusion of the assault, Lucas disappeared...” Ben confesses, wiping the tears on her face. “Obi-Wan advised me not to tell you anything and to continue training, hoping that together we could find Lucas. I never thought I’d have to sacrifice you too...” Ben explains bowing in front of her, hiding his face on her legs squeezing her with despair.

“You didn't know we’re down there?” Rey asks, her voice breaking at the end; he automatically denies with his head, holding her tightly. His answer destroys as a meteorite her whole vision of those years of confinement. She spent those 1825 days cursing him, believing that he had used her to access power, to let himself be consumed by his hatred, getting rid of her after using her and locking her deep into the dungeons to never to see her again.

“Those imperial guards stormed unexpectedly into the throne room, and since I couldn’t find Lucas, I needed to keep pretending to ensure a pacific transition and have more time to find him. The very next day I did everything in my power to secure your release without raising suspicions from the members of the court...” Ben continues his explanation, while Rey keeps her gaze lost in the dark, trying not to collapse upon him. “Despite their protests, the members of the Imperial Court endorsed my exoneration order, as long as you’re exiled for life to another province of the Kingdom. You should’ve left to Chandrila...”

“That must be the nickname of my cell,” Rey interrupts him unable to hold her tears back. Knowing that he tried to take her back to the farm, all the memories of those three years together want to emerge from the depths of her mind, drowning her in the melancholy of a life that could’ve been and that was lost.

“On the day of your release, I gathered some members of the Resistance who’re inside the imperial guard to be in charge of your transfer. I was only able to take a few steps toward the dungeons when a suicide bomber tried to kill me...” Ben stops talking when Rey lets out a low cry.

Separating from her, Ben unbuttons his shirt showing her the scar that covers all his chest. Rey sits at the edge of the armchair and, forgetting any prudence, she touches him, feeling under his skin a machine vibrating. "I survived thanks to my powers and that the hospital is next to the Imperial Tower. I’ve been locked up here ever since," Ben grabs her hands and presses them on his chest, allowing Rey to feel more intensely how that invention helped his battered heart pump blood; but the machine wasn’t perfect and he had to constantly use magic on it to keep it running.

Rey blinks several times convinced that this’s all a hallucination after another torture session. But every time she opened her eyes Ben’s on his knees in front of her, his brown eyes nailed to her, as broken by pain and loss as she’s, his body a silent narrator of his battles, his struggle to be himself, his heart literally broken by the leader he has to be and the man who doesn’t give up to exist.

“Ben...” Rey whispers as a prayer; in the end, everything had gone wrong. Killing Snoke didn’t bring the freedom they longed but increased the military control over the Kingdom. They had sacrificed so much, their dreams, his all family, their own lives, his heart, and all for nothing. Now everything was the same, or even worst.

“Luckily, Kaydel was already undercover inside the court, so she found it easy to request her transfer to serve as my assistant while I was convalescing. However, for that same reason, my control in the affairs of the Kingdom was null. The vice-governor made almost all government decisions until yesterday when the Imperial Court decided to ratify Grand General Armitage Hux as the new governor of the Kingdom,” explains Ben cleaning her tears that kept pouring out of control. “Even that I always suspected that Hux was behind every decision that Snoke took, I never imagined he would dare to put a hand on you...”

“Why not?” Rey asks, but before he can answer someone suddenly knocks at the front door. Ben gets up grabbing her by the arms keeping her close to him.

“Go with Lucas and don’t move from there. No matter what you hear, don’t come out,” Ben’s voice floods inside her mind making her feel alive again, breaking down the last barriers that kept her true feelings locked up. Nervously she picks up her knife, cloak and boots, while he bottoms his shirt. 

“Are you sure you’ll be all right?” Rey asks him mentally, causing Ben to gaze at her again with a half-smile painted on his face, so warm and soft that makes that weakens her knees.

“Yes, sweetheart. Now go…” Ben responds to her the moment Kaydel enters the living room accommodating the gold band that ratified her as an Imperial Court’s member of staff.

“Just a moment please,” Kaydel announces signalling Rey to leave.

Seeing Ben standing so fragile, Rey decides she’ll not take more risks, crouching wielding his knife behind the door connecting the living room to the rest of the apartment. There’s no doubt that he isn’t in any condition to defend himself and Kaydel doesn’t seem able to fight multiple attackers at the same time. From her hiding place, Rey listens to the door open and three sets of footsteps enter.

“Good evening Lord Ren. Forgive me for getting you out of bed,” it's the same voice of the captain who intercepted them in the elevator.

“Good evening Captain Phasma. Tell me, how can we help you at this dreadful hour?” Ben’s voice sounds opaque and empty, no doubt assuming the role as Kylo Ren.

“According to hospital access records, two people came to see you this afternoon,” says the officer tells without hiding the tone of surprise in her voice.

“That’s correct,” Kylo Ren responds dryly.

“Could you explain why they didn’t stop by the lobby when the curfew was declared...” The captain asks only to be silenced by Kylo Ren’s voice, almost like a roar.

“I signed their safe passages myself,” Kylo Ren explains, and Rey can swear that the air becomes thinner, as always happened when he let himself be carried away by anger.

“I don’t wish to contradict your excellency, but your signature doesn’t have the authority to allow two people to roam...” The captain's words tremble just to be interrupted once more.

“Captain Phasma, I can assure you that they’ve returned to their final destinations following governor Hux orders, as all the citizens of Coruscant did,” sentences Kylo Ren with sufficiency in his voice, settling the matter.

“However,” insists the officer, but this time is Kaydel who interrupts her.

“His excellency Lord Ren just wanted to do his part and collaborate with this unexpected situation. Besides, I’m sure that if any imperial guard encountered a safe passage signed by the Emperor’s Right Hand, they’d also see it that way,” Rey can only marvel at how convincing Kaydel sounds, for sure she must have years of experience doing that job.

“You may be right my lady. However, even Lord Ren’s obliged to follow protocols,” Phasma speaks in a louder tone trying to show that she’s the figure of authority.

“Captain, I can assure you that, next time, I’ll. If you’ll excuse me,” Kylo's voice sounds unexpectedly tired and Rey may feel his magic fading. His steps are short and soft, like those of a convalescent person.

“Lord Ren, I’m sorry to keep bothering you, but you haven’t given me the names of the visitors in possession of the safe passage sign by your excellency,” insists the guard. Rey feels that life escapes from her body and heat rise inside her chest, her mind is once again flooded with magic, stronger and more intense than ever.

“We don’t need to know the identity of visitors,” Ben and Rey say at the same time, surprising each other by the power in which the spell moves around them and invades the minds of the three guards.  
“We don’t need to know the identity of visitors,” aloud repeat the three soldiers, plunging into an uncomfortable silence.

“Good evening Capitan Phasma. Thank you for your services,” Kaydel rushes to add, Rey listening to the woman’s gentle footsteps ahead of the guards leaving the apartment.

“Good evening,” said the officer, her voice dying as soon as the door closes, Kaydel immediately passing the locks.

“I asked you to wait with Lucas,” Ben tells her, offering his hand to help her get up, apprehendingly looking at her.

“But you needed my help,” Rey answers, securing her knife in the folds of the robe. She takes his hand marvelled at how quickly they’d treat each other with that confidence that characterized them in other times full of fruits and workouts, studies that extended until midnight and led to kisses in the dark. Her gaze gets lost within his eyes, which desperately look at her and she wants to believe he’s pleased to have her around.

“Let’s hope they don’t come back. Do you want me to serve the dinner?” Kaydel interrupts passing between them, forcing Ben to let go of her hand.

“Don’t worry, I can take care of it,” Ben answers without turning his gaze away from Rey.

“Don’t let him stay up too late. It isn’t good for his heart,” Kaydel explains to her, taking the cape and boots from the ground, Rey surprised by her sincerity.

“I’ll send him to sleep right away,” responds Rey nodding, grateful for entrusts her with that information. Kaydel holds her gaze for a few moments and Rey thinks she sees an attempted of a smile on her lips as the woman walks lightly down the hall to what appears to be the bedrooms.

“Let’s go to the kitchen so you can have something to eat,” says Ben pointing to the hall at the right.

Rey didn’t know if all the places she had been today are extremely spacious, or it was a perceptual mistake after being locked in a two-square-metre cell. While eating Ben, he brought her up to date with the Resistance’s efforts to overthrow the Empire once and for all. With each passing day, more imperial soldiers refused to carry out the orders of their superiors, and there’s already a faint change of stance of the members of the Imperial Court about the idea of independence from the invaders and that life, strange for the majority of the population of the Kingdom.

He told her a little about his assistant, Kaydel Ko Connix, a prominent figure in the ranks of the Resistance, who had worked alongside his mother from a young age, and whom Leia considered an invaluable piece for the organization. Kaydel’s the first to successfully infiltrate the Imperial Court, extending her influence and allowing dissident soldiers into the imperial ranks, as well as showing the court members the other side of the Empire and its subjugation of the provinces. She volunteered to help him while he was recovering, worried that his convalescence would slow down the progress the Resistance was making after Snoke's defeat. Knowing each other for so many years made it easier for them to maintain the appearances with the other government officials who came to visit the sick governor at the hospital.

As he spoke, Ben made sure that she tasted all the food at her disposal, until Rey's stomach protested do the abnormal volume of food inside her. She insisted on washing the dishes, enjoying the feeling of freshwater running over her dry and battered hands. When finished, she noticed how white her hands look compared the rest of her skin, she certainly needed a good bath. Before even thinking of say something, Ben asked her to accompany him.

Taking advantage of the darkness that reigned in the apartment, they peek inside the room occupied by Lucas, asleep on the large double bed and Chewbacca lying next to him. On the nightstand a book remains open with the remains of some half-finished fruits. No doubt he should be tired, that’d been a difficult day for him too.

“Come. You can use the shower inside my bedroom,” says Ben closing the door quietly, rubbing her back with a slight pass of his fingers, so dim that it feels like the wind passing by.

“It's not necessary, it wouldn't be the first night I spent without taking a bath,” Rey sourly sentence, although she can't stop blushing out of shame.

“Please Rey, let us take care of you...” Ben rebukes her, pinching the bridge of his nose; the same gesture he did when she made a mistake in her workouts and got herself hurt. After pausing for a moment, he continues. “It’ll be Kaydel who gives you a change of clothes if you prefer it,” clarifies Ben in a whisper, so close to her that Rey had to tilt her head up to gaze him directly in the eyes.

Rey’s mouth suddenly dries out, one part of her mind still incredulous about everything that’s going on and the other willing to throw herself into his arms no matter what. Driven by the mounting curiosity and the inclement need to touch him, she raises her hands to place them over his chest, hesitating at the last moment, fearful that he’ll fade away and she’ll wake up from that dream. Ben moves forward grabbing her by the waist him and her body betrays her, closing the gap between them. She lets her hands wander freely over his chest, marvelling at how that machine keeps him alive.

“But you have to sleep,” says Rey reminding herself over and over again the real reason why she’s there, although every second by his side erased the days that have been separated.

“Only if you use the shower inside my bedroom,” insists Ben without evident lust, but his heart betrays him within his chest.

“You know I can tear you into pieces if you try anything,” says Rey moving away from him in an attempt to maintain order inside her mind, which wandered to more pleasant memories of them discovering each other for the first time under the waters of the stream that crossed the farm’s apple orchards.

“I’ve never been able to forget it,” answers Ben with one of his broad smiles that marked his dimples and Rey feels that the whole universe lights up in front of her; realizing that despite all she had lived, what had hurt her the most was how much she had missed him.

Keeping his hand in her lower back, Ben guides her down the wide hallway to the last room. The master bedroom is an apartment by itself with all the necessary amenities for the patient don’t have to leave it. At the centre stands a large glass fireplace surrounded by a six-seat black leather sofa describing a perfect curve around it. On the right is a protected double bed behind a glass wall, a machine with hundreds of coloured buttons stands on the left side of the mattress. A large balcony with open windows refreshes the room, its delicate curtains dancing with the soft breeze and letting Rey see at intervals the beautiful internal gardens of the hospital. 

In front of the bed near the balcony, a long bench surrounded by some devices that Rey didn’t understand its function, pulleys attached to pieces of steel, looked more like one of the torture chairs used by the Knights of Ren down in the dungeons. At the left of the entrance a delicate fountain next to a pantry and a small kitchen, with a round glass table and four steel chairs. On the wall on the other side of the fireplace rest a wooden desk with an armchair, loose papers with no apparent order. Hanging on the wall an oil painting of the orchards around an old farm in autumn, the treetops in endless orange tones. The warmth of the painting appeared dissonant with the rest of the decoration.

On the other side of the bedroom, a double door gives access to a dressing room which leads to a privet bathroom. With a gentle movement of his hand on her back, Ben pushes Rey to enter. All the surfaces are white, mirrors covering an entire wall, in another some tubes come out of one wall, even from the ceiling; equal to the showers that Rey knew on the farm and in which they took refuge together after the long days of training, a time that now seems so distant.

“Inside you’ll find everything you need and Kaydel will bring you your new clothes right away,” Ben tells her standing behind her, passing his hands over the extension of her arms without touching, almost caressing her, looking at her through the mirror. Rey swears she’s able to feel their hearts beating at the same speed, while they speak to each other in the secret language of their eyes, confessing everything that their pain doesn’t allow them to articulate into words. “Take all the time that you want. If you need anything else, you can call me, I'll be in bed,” adds Ben walking away, leaving her an empty feeling inside her chest.

In all those five years Rey hadn’t seen her reflection beyond the shadow of her face over the pile of water inside her cell or when they tortured her submerging her head into a bucket of salty water. The image that gazed back at her in the mirror brake her already broken heart. All visible parts of her skin are cover by scars, welts and burns; her face isn’t so battered, or the scars had healed better, her old freckles barely visible. Her hair is a deformed mass tie in her traditional three buns. The robe that used to be grey is an indefinite shade of brown layered with baches of dry blood and dirt. Her trouser looks more like a fishing net, revealing more than it should.

“Miss Johnson, may I come in?” Kaydel looms behind her, waiting at the entrance of the dressing room.

“Come in. I didn't hear you approaching,” answers Rey cleaning her tears, she hadn’t realized when she started to cry.

“Here you have some clothes for tomorrow. Now you can wear this pyjama shirt,” explains Kaydel showing her the piece. “It’s one of his, and Ben insisted in offering it to you,” adds the lady, placing over the sinks the black cotton pyjamas shirt and fitting the first pile of clothing on a ledge: grey trousers, a white shirt and a black leather vest.

“I have the nerve to bring you my hair products and a pain medication,” says Kaydel showing her some elegant bottles next to a dark jar with soothing oil.

“Thank you very much Kaydel. You didn’t have too,” Rey thanks her ashamed to receive so many attentions, leaving them at the entrance to the shower.

“This’s nothing compared to what you deserve, especially after what you’ve experienced down there,” says Kaydel shortening the distance between them. “And he had cried you every single day...” She confesses in a whisper. Rey is surprised by those words, the hatred she had accumulated for him during those 1825 days fading within her soul. “What they did to you is unforgivable and that’s why it’s important to know who’s responsible,” concludes Kaydel showing her a copy of her incarceration sheet.

Rey grabs it and begins to read it. Under her name’s the list of charges condemning her to life imprisonment: “Material Actor of Emperor Snoke's Murder. Material Actor of the Kidnapping and Disappearance of ‘The Chosen One’. Conspiracy against the Kingdom and the Order of the Law...” The list continued, but her sight’s drawn to that ornate letter signing the request of a strict interrogation regime and its confinement in one of the isolation cells: “Grand General Armitage Hux, Governor in charge of the Kingdom and Assistant to the Emperor's Right Hand.”

“Thank you Kaydel,” Rey says meticulously folding the paper and placing it inside the inner pocket of the vest, next to her knife. “Please don't show Ben this...”

Kaydel smiles approaching the shower turning the taps, the water falling from the ceiling like rain: “That’s exactly the same thing that Ben asked me to do with you.”

“Did he already read it?” asks Rey feeling the urgency to run away; one thing was to be seen like this, another very different was that he knowing in detail what she had endured.

“We’ll ensure that each of those responsible pays for their boldness,” responds Kaydel taking some towels out of the closet and hanging them by the shower.

“That's precisely what worries me. That Ben once again let himself be carried away by rage and no one’s there to save him,” says Rey speaking more to herself, unzipping her trousers and dropping them to the ground with resignation.

Kaydel tries to reply but hesitates, turning away when Rey takes off her old robe and the remnants of her wasted underwear. “Can I take away that?” Kaydel asks when Rey walks into the shower.

“Please. And burn it, that’s a risk for Ben’s health,” answers Rey closing her eyes under the water, and breathing slowly begins to meditate.

After living many years in the Jakku Desert, Rey had developed a very special relationship with water. For her, it’s the most valuable substance, more than gold or money, running into the depths of the desert and appearing sporadically from the sky. It was on a rainy day when she first discovered that she possessed traces of magic inside her, which were amplified when she could be near a well or stream. Every night she would leave her hut, the remains of a war machine, and sneak into the village fountain so she could be reunited with the force that ran through her blood and made her hear inside her mind the voice of a man who repeated over and over again: “I’ll find you and you’ll not be alone again. I promise you.”

Over the years the voice came to her more easily without needing to be near water. It came especially in the moments of peace that she experienced at the top of the dunes watching the sunset and the sky filling with stars. Suddenly, those connections became bidirectional, allowing them to speak to each other, and so she discovered the name of that wizard who searched for her from the other end of the Kingdom: Ben Solo.

Their connection intensified at night, flooding her dreams with images of places she had never seen: green meadows stretching to the horizon, turbulent oceans where sailboats made their way through giant waves, an orchard where a tall man, brown-eyed and black hair like the feathers of a crow, gazed at her through the corners of time and space, calling her, dreaming her, yearning for her.

Thanks to him, her life became less lonely, enjoying his company and feeling his presence as she cut the immense machines to pieces before the dunes claimed them. Ben guided her inside the bowels of those ships, larger than her town, and he’d tell her where to get the strangest pieces, even teaching her to use the magic that grew inside her to access the highest sites or retrieve the pieces from the bottom of the chasms.

In that forgotten place in the middle of the Jakku Desert, few knew the secrets hidden within the heaven’s beasts, and many less dared to delve into the depths of these ships, so it didn't take long for the other scavengers to start spying on her, eager to get hold of the loot the little orphan that leave outside their town brought with her. Rey didn’t allow their envy to overshadow those adventures, where magic grew within her and she was able to share her mind with Ben, increasingly deeper and lasting, for seconds feeling like one.

However, all good things don’t last long for Rey. Having found a machine part that guaranteed her food rations for a whole year, she received the unexpected visit from the leaders of the village scavengers, who made sure to show her how low her rank was in that place. Even though Rey tried to use her newly discovered powers to defend herself, her fear and inexperience proved more powerful than her magic. They dragged her deep into the desert where she’s mercilessly assaulted until the pain caused her to lose consciousness, hearing Ben desperately screams inside her mind. The scavengers left her battered body abandoned so that the vultures would take care of her remains.

When she gains back consciousness, Rey found herself inside her hut, all her wounds treated, her few possessions inside a leather bag at the foot of her hammock. In the corner of her mind, the magic arises with overwhelming rage paralyzing her. That magic was new to her, dangerous, but at the same time strangely familiar. Scared, Rey dressed with her dirty beige ropes and went out seeking that magic that shouted her name, encountering an immense column of black smoke coming from the village. Fearing the worst, she ran with all her might until she stumbled with fleeing children, who pointed towards the square where a tall figure, dressed with a black imperial guard armour, threatening with a long black steel sword and blood-red handle the leaders of the scavengers, keeping them against the broken fountain.

Each one of the curve clay houses of the town was on fire, the brilliant colour fabrics that covered the streets were laying in the ground. The women and the elderly pushed her out of the way, desperate to find refuge on the outskirts, yelling heartbroken at the children to follow them. Rey fights her way through people, trying to reach the source of that energy that shone like a red ribbon and guided her in the confusion. When she was a few steps from the square, she saw in amazement how black flames emerge out of nowhere and surrounded the scavengers, who desperately begged, offering all kinds of riches in exchange for being spared their lives.

“There is nothing in the whole kingdom more valuable than her!” said the man dressed in black and Rey understood he was Ben, but exactly not the same who visited her inside her mind. This was a cold-blooded and violent man, in whose presence even Death paled.

Raising his claymore, Ben was prepared to attack when a child throws himself into the arms of his father, one of the men who attacked her. Not knowing how, Rey ran as fast as the wind and stood between Ben and the men, with her bare hand hitting the edge of the sword without suffering any damage. The hateful expression fades from Ben’s face as he recognizes her, reverting the spell he was casting, receiving the sword’s blow directly to his face, marking him forever.

Rey opens her eyes and returns to the present. She didn’t know how long she'd been under the hot water, but the pain in her lower back and the wrinkles on her palms she knew it’s been enough. Takes the soap and desperately clean her skin, as if that could somehow erase the bad memories as well. Using the products that Kaydel left her she manages to untangle her hair, enjoying the feeling of having it down. She gifts herself some extra seconds underwater until, with resignation, closes the tap. The soft, fluffy towels with a delicate lavender scent feel like clouds over her skin. When she finishes, Rey dares to gaze again in the mirror, comforted by the sight of her scars, now less evident than before, her skin pinker, her hair so long that reaches below her buttocks.

Scraps of their first encounter return to her mind, of how the world seemed to have stopped completely when Ben, critically wounded, embraced her with the affection she had never felt in her life: “Sorry it took me so long, sweetheart.” His words awakened that magic that slept within her body, allowing Rey to use it freely, extinguishing the flames that threatened to devour the scavengers and giving her the strength to carry him to her hut. After healing his wounds and leaving Jakku in a strange flying ship, Rey promised herself not to let him be consumed by anger, fearful that Ben would lose control again.

The medicinal oil felt like ice on her battered lower back, but after giving it a few minutes, Rey could bend down with complete ease and without any pain. The pyjama shirt is made of a delicate and softest cotton, so light that she hardly feel it touching her skin; he blushes for being able to smelt his scent on the fabric, imagining for a few moments that he’s caressing every inch of her body. Because it’s one of his shirts, it fit so big on her that it looks like a dress, so she has to roll up the sleeves to use her hands.

Rey enters the master bedroom cautiously, she didn’t ask Kaydel where she was going to sleep, although any of the armchairs in the living room would be more than comfortable enough compared to the cot in her cell. The room is completely dark, she can only hear the fire crackling inside the fireplace, now covered with metal plates so the flames can’t illuminate the room.

Nervous, Rey approaches the bed where she can see Ben resting over big cushions. He doesn’t have his pyjamas shirt on and has several long cables connecting his chest to a metal box next to him, where light bulbs shine at the beat of a subtle beep, which sounds at the same pace as a beating heart. He appears to be asleep, one of his hand’s rests on his abdomen, the other’s on the bed holding a strange apparatus which has words written on the glass that appears to float between four metal plates; if she remembers correctly, Ben called them ‘datapad’.

As much as she wants to reclaim her place under the sheets, Rey looks at the sofa by the fireplace and decides that it’ll be her bed for the night, anticipating how warm it would feel being so close to the chimney.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Ben’s unexpected voice makes Rey leap.

“To the sofa,” she replies, feeling the magic fluttering within her again as if’s begging her to do something, though she doesn’t know what.

“Over my dead body,” replies Ben awkwardly stretching to press a button on one of the glass wall surrounding the bed, opening them like doors at each side.

“Don't you ever say that in my presence,” Rey rebukes him, clenching her fists tight.

“I'm sorry,” adds Ben placing his hand under the cables popping out of his chest.

“Does it hurt?” Rey can’t hold herself back, approaching one step to bed.

“It’s nothing compared to what I just read,” responds Ben turning off the datapad and leaving it on the ledge that extends over the top of the bed. “Don’t worry, I’ve taken care of it.”

“All six?” asks Rey while the images of the Knights of Ren making their way into her mind, forcing her to close her eyes to erase them once and for all.

“They swore to protect you while you were down there. Their betrayal’s personal to me,” Ben explains as Rey shed uncontrolled tears. “Don’t cry, sweetheart...” His voice sounds closer. She opens her eyes to discover Ben kneeling in the middle of the bed trying to reach her, but the cables won’t let him go any further.

“You need to lie down and rest, please,” says Rey, but Ben cast his magic and gently wrap her by the hips, pushing her closer so he can grab her hands. She gets carried away without offering resistance, kneeling in front of him.

“You’re not going to sleep on the couch. If you prefer, I can move the heart monitor and stay there," explains Ben desperately cleaning the tears from her face.

“No! You must stay in bed, especially if you need to be connected to that thing,” commands Rey trying to get out of his arms, afraid of hurting him.

“Rey, stay…” Ben whispers, squeezing her tighter than his body could have. “Please.”

Rey can’t keep pretending and clings to his side, incredulous to be there, free in his arms, cursing the ancient gods for separating them. If that was a dream, she would rather live it completely and die in it than re-awaken in her cell within that underground city of forgotten prisoners. “Only if you stay too,” whispers Rey in his ear, banishing any prudence on her part. She had spent too many days flirting with her death to keep squandering that gift fallen from the heaves.

Ben hugs her tight as if he’s also convincing himself. “Thank you,” replies gently kissing her forehead.

With some difficulty, he returns to his place over the cushions, moving the cables to hang from the left side of the bed. Rey slides beside him, marvelling at the softness of the black silk sheets on her legs; lying on her back stretches as far as she can.

“Did the medicine had any effect?” asks Ben holding her left hand to caress her arm, describing small strokes between the scars.

“Yes. Thanks for thinking about it,” says Rey turning to see him. He has his gaze on the wall in front of them.

“You don’t have anything to thank me for,” replies Ben caressing softly her arm, like those nights when she would run away from her room and get under his sheets and he’ll lull her to sleep, the only way she could manage dream without nightmares. Some months later it would be Rey who would protect his dreams when he returned from the capital, exhausted from pretending to be someone he didn’t want to but whom, with every passing day, became part of himself.

Rey lies on her side placing her free hand on his abdomen. “Do you need to be connected to that machine all the time?” She dares to ask, feeling how that device inside his chest's doing all the work to keep his heart beating.

“To the heart monitor? Only when I’m too tired to use magic or I want to sleep. The heart engine needs a steady flow of energy and my spells don’t have a lasting effect on it.” explains Ben returning his attention to her, tightly squeezing her hand. “Are you really Rey? Are you really here?” asks with a broken voice, a lonely tear escaping his eye; that’s the second time in all her years together that she had sees him cry. His expression of disbelief is as if Rey could see herself in a mirror; she wasn’t the only one who had a hard time believing they’re together again.

Feeling that now it’s her own heart that breaks into pieces, Rey kneels next to him, placing her forehead against his, letting the magic unfolds inside her and reunited with his. “Yes, it’s me, Ben. I’m here.”

Immediately he sighs, grabbing her face. “You don’t have any idea of how I’ve looked for you...”

“No more than I’ve dreamed of seeing you again,” Rey confesses; because yes, every single night she dreamed of him, with that life they promised each other and reality stole it from them.

Ben pushes her face back so he could see her eyes: “All these years I was comforted by the idea that you were free. That you had decided to go somewhere else to rebuild your life, away from this war that doesn’t belong to you. But now, I can’t live knowing that I was the cause...”

“Don’t say that,” Rey silences him placing her fingertips over his lips. They hold their gaze, his eyes shining so brightly while the machine hum at a faster pace. “You always know how to find me. This time it took longer...”

Ben makes her shut up with a kiss, his lips felt like embers over hers. Rey renounces any attempt of rationality and corresponds to him with desire, enjoying the flavour that she has never been able to forget. When their mouths open and their tongues meet, the hum of the machine becomes a high-pitched beep.

“Ben! Are you all right?” asks Rey scared, scaping from his embrace.

“Yes, yes. Just one of the wires disconnected,” explains Ben taking the cable which ends in a long steel needle. “Give me a second.” With the expertise that develops with the repetition of a task many times, Ben sticks the needle in the exact place of the chest where the cable connects to the heart motor hidden under his skin. Immediately, the sound picks up its rhythm, giving away how fast his heart is beating.

“Kaydel’s going to scold us if she hears your heart beating like that,” says Rey caressing his chest, worried about how fragile he’s.

“Luckily I can silence it,” responds Ben shameless pressing a few buttons on the machine to mute it.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” Rey confesses trying to look away, but he captures her face with his hands.

“The only thing that can hurt me is losing you again,” whispers Ben before kissing her, making her moan against his lips, grabbing him by the back of the neck and burying her fingers in his hair, passing one of her legs over his abdomen and sitting on him. Now it's Ben who loses control, making his way over her body opening her shirt with a tug of his hands. Because she no longer feels the pain in her back, Rey bends so her breasts don’t graze the cables again when a freezing breeze sneaks down the balcony and causes her to shake between his arms. He stops kissing her reaching the control that closes the glass around the bed.

Rey smiles at the sight of all the glasses become blur when the doors close, feeling her passion taking control of her. “You think of everything,” says untying the knot holding his trousers up and gets them out of their way.

“I only think of you,” replies Ben as his member rises beneath her.

Hearing Ben saying that, Rey kisses him again desperate to make up the time they’ve been away in one night. Ben corresponds to her, caressing her in all the places that make her delirious and that he only knows how to find, his fingers manoeuvring expertly between her legs making her lost her mind. She drowns her moans of pleasure inside his mouth, where their tongues fight in a war that none of them wants to win.

Ben grabs her hips and guides her to get up enough so he can make his way inside her. The moment their bodies come together, they both feel as if all the magic of the universe is concentrated within them, the air vibrating around them. Slowly, Rey begins to move, each time faster before, so she’s forced to stand on it and avoid disconnecting another cable.

As she changes position, Ben closes his eyes raising his hips against hers, a cry of pleasure getting trapped inside his throat. Rey makes sure that the wires don't get trapped under her knee and accelerates the rhythm, biting her lips to silence her own moans of pleasure when he reaches the exact point that makes her hallucinate. Ben’s hands don’t stop, navigating her body with the precision of an experienced captain crossing the seas, while she rides him relentlessly, leading them straight to reach an orgasm.

Both find the climax at the same time, and within their bodies an explosion of energy invades them, the magic moves freely through their bodies, their minds connecting and letting them both experience that feeling, re-entrusting each other. They hold their gazes trying to catch their breath; that may not be the most romantic or lustful night of their lives, but they feel more united than ever. Every day they had been separated seems to fade, giving way to an unusual sense of peace.

“I love you,” says Ben kissing her, a sweet, soft kiss, one of those who leave their lips wanting more.

“I know,” replies Rey both smiling at the same time. “Forgive me for taking so long to find you.”

“Don’t say that sweetheart,” says Ben guiding her to lie down beside him.

Carefully, Rey comes down and settles on his right side, placing her head on his chest, listening as his heart finally beats full of strength, full of life, full of hopes. They no longer feel compelled to fill the silence with uncomfortable words, the bad days of the past blurring with every breath of air shared at two times, with each caress slowing down until they stop.

The drowsiness and tiredness took over Rey, her body feels heavy and her muscles protested over-exercise. The lethargic beats of his heart seem to lull her, singing a secret melody that takes her straight to the lands of Morpheus.  
“Promise me that you’re not a dream,” says Rey with some despair, still frightened of falling asleep and waking up back inside the cell down in the dungeons, in the deepest hole under the city.

"I swear to you," replies Ben in a dull voice, awkwardly resuming the caress he had left halfway on her back. “Sleep sweetheart, I’ll be here when you wake up.”

“I love you, Ben,” adds Rey and his heart leaps inside his chest.

“I know,” responds Ben, kissing her on the crown of her head. Rey holds him tight as she gets carried away by that sense of peace that surrounds them, returning her as always to her dream’s lands, to those green meadows in the middle of the mist, where Ben waited for her every night they remained apart.

*


	3. The Decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: sickness.

One of the things that Rey had forgotten was starting the day with the sunlight. Inside the dungeons, light meant the arrival of the Knights of Ren and the beginning of a new cycle of torture. So, when the first sun’s rays of the morning began to make her way through the bedroom, she opens her eyes scared of what may come. She jumps up sitting next to Ben, the glass surrounding them had returned to normal allowing her to see the clarity gradually moving through.

The warmth fills inch by inch the room, the walls taking an orange tone matching the painting of the farm, which thanks to the light looks like an open window. The same happens over the bed, where the rays painted Ben’s skin, completely asleep by her side. His heart monitor lights keep flashing at the same rate as his heart without making any noise, slow and steady.

It takes her a few seconds to convince herself that’s reality, detailing every surface on which the sun reflected and filled it with life. She smiles to understand that everything that happened yesterday was true, she had managed to escape the dungeons with Lucas, the Chosen One, guided by a dog that had taken them to Ben, who had all this year been seeking them without any luck. Nonetheless, she’s free, Rey repeats herself moving her lips, letting that image sink in her mind and bury her darkest days.

Gently, she goes back to bed feeling at ease, enjoying that forgotten sense of security, passing the sheets over their naked bodies so they won’t be so exposed, especially if someone comes in to check that Ben’s still alive after last night agitation. Despite being tired, she didn't want to waste any moments with him, especially when she can finally see him out of her dreams. She remains motionless, ecstatic about how light gains ground over Ben’s body, allowing her to detail the scar on his face, somehow softer than yesterday. Rey lets her eyes wander through the shadows that cast the marked muscles of his arms and abdomen, no as prominent as they were before, a change that doesn’t sit badly on him. 

Even if she wanted to avoid it, her gaze is drawn like a magnet to his chest, that burn scar still reddish under the scars of the countless operations take away the peace that surrounded them and filled her with apprehension; a feeling that only increased with the spasmodic movements of the three cables every time Ben breathed, nailed to him like needles in a pincushion. Rey concentrates on the subtle movement of the skin caused by that machine hidden underneath, a paradox in itself, the life of a Jedi Wizard depending on the same technology they wanted to expel out from the Kingdom.

“Good morning sweetheart.” Ben’s voice takes Rey out of her thoughts. He’s smiling with his eye close.

“Did I wake you up?” Rey apologizes, leaning on her elbow so she can see his face better.

“You’re here,” Ben whispers grabbing one of her hands and kissing it gently, sucking her skin for a few seconds. “You’re here.” Repeats, finally opening his eyes to looking his gaze on her.

“Here I am,” Rey replies with a smile so big that it made her cheeks hurt. “Did I wake you?” She insists, watching him kiss the tip of each of her fingers.

‘You were seeing the heart engine so intensely that you overloaded it with energy." Ben explains by pointing at the monitor screen, where all the bulbs are flashing in red.

“Really? But I wasn’t trying to do any magic.” Rey excuses herself, but he rolls to bring his face closer to hers.

“If you’re the one who wakes me up, I don’t care,” Ben whisper, rubbing the tip of his nose over her cheek. “You always look so beautiful with the sun on your skin,” Ben says kissing her neck, letting his hand slide over her skin and to Rey's surprise her scars don't hurt despite not having taken the medicine. “You can hardly see them anymore.” He sentences separating himself to gaze at her.

Doubting him, Rey sits down and looks at her body holding her breath in surprise; she can’t believe what her eyes see. The scars that shed her body, at many points sinking and creating furrows, were now dim lines lighter than the colour of her skin. “But how...?” The rest of Rey questions vanishes when Ben sits up tugging the cables off his chest with a hard pull.

“It isn’t perfect, but whatever we did, it also worked on me.” Ben grabs her hands and places them on his chest, and Rey feels his heart beating without the help of the machine.

Ben's hands roam free through her skin, gently, first over legs, her abdomen, her arms, her breasts. His hands advance slowly, studying every inch of her body, trying to memorize the place of her wounds, ascending until he grabs her by the neck, his thumbs caressing her cheeks. Rey imitates him, drinking with her fingers every inch of his skin, remembering every detail, learning the place that the machine now occupies inside his chest. Like him, she takes her time, slowly reaching his neck, holding him close.

“I dream you every single night, and I didn’t pass a day without thinking of you in every moment.” Ben sentence suddenly, his words echoing in every corner of her soul, Rey clings him tightly, trembling.

“Me too,” Rey confesses, Ben resting his forehead against her, letting his magic invade her and warming her. Without giving her time to understand what’s happening, Ben kisses her with that passion that shakes the earth and generates storms, holding her with desire. Rey vibrates between his arms, kissing him with all the passion accumulated inside her body, releasing that magic that slept within her soul, surrounding them with fury. Their hands move unrestrained, eager to please each other.

“Ouch!” Rey screams as she felt the pull on her lower back, cursing the Knight of Ren who decided to hit her in that same spot with a mace for a whole month. “Let me get the medicine.” She manages to articulate, but the phrase hangs in the air when Ben raises her in his arms and lay her down on the bed, placing himself over her.

“It won’t be necessary,” Ben says slowly tracing her body with his lips. Ben moves like a painter, leaving no space on the canvas untouched, while Rey concentrates in not screaming with pleasure. He moves with total control and renewed strength, enjoying that freedom of movement that gave him not relying on magic to live.

Each kiss causes Rey’s magic to unfold, connecting her with each of the particles in the air around them, vibrating with madness. “Ben!” Rey lets out a whining when he takes her to the climax with his lips, thirstily drinking her up, but she needed more, she wanted everything he offered, including his darkness. “Ben!” Call him once more, grabbing his face and forcing him to see her, as she tries to catch her breath.

“Are you sure?” Ben asks knowing the hidden demand behind her all, rising above her without touching, holding her hips as if they were made out of glass and about to break.

“Ben, I need you,” Rey pleads opening her legs as her hands travel his chest with desire, pulling him gently towards her. “Please.”

Knowing her body better than she knows it herself, Ben grabs one of her legs and hangs it over his shoulder, while he lifts her hips to align her with him, and with a smooth, controlled movement, fills every inch of her. Regardless of whether she loses her back, Rey moves at the pace he sets, faster and somewhat abrupt, magic reverberating with them, merging them into one. When she’s about to reach the climax, he lowers her leg and catches her lips with a kiss, silencing her increasingly sharp groans, causing him to speed. In just a split of a second, they feel the whole universe contracting and condensing inside them when they both reach orgasm at the same time, Ben roaring so loud that rumbles throughout the bedroom.

Slowly, trying to keep Rey from moving her back much more, Ben lies on her. They stay intertwined for a time that feels eternal, perfect, resting their foreheads and holding their gaze as they try to catch their breath. He looks completely rejuvenated in contrast to the fragile man she found yesterday, his heart now beating with renewed strength within his chest.

“We must try to be quieter next time,” says Ben with a smirk. In response she holds him tightly around by the neck and kisses him with desire, begging for that moment to never end.

“I couldn’t agree more with you, Benjamin.” Kaydel’s voice causes them to suddenly separate, Rey awkwardly trying to pull the sheets to cover themself.

“Kay! What are you doing here?!” Ben asks with the expression of a naughty boy discovered red-handed, slightly diluting Rey’s shame.

“Really Benjamin, As much as I'm happy with your reunion, you must remember that the heart monitor is connected to the Nurse’s Department, who’s been calling nonstop to make sure you’re okay.” Kaydel scolds him entering directly the small kitchen and preparing breakfast without delay, giving them her back at all times.

“I know, I know,” Ben responds putting on his trousers and turning off the heart monitor, which flashes out-of-control lights after he disconnected so abruptly. Rey puts on her shirt and when she looks for the one he should wear she can’t find it, realizing that she must be wearing the same one he had yesterday.

“At least tell me you let her have some rest,” Kaydel adds looking over her shoulder, winking at Rey as they cross-eyes to each other, Rey giving her a shy smile on response.

“As much as it gives you a morbid pleasure to control all aspects of my life, I’m not going to fall into your game,” Ben responds with some annoyance in his voice, pressing a button over the chimney so that the metal barrier around it bends opens.

"Good morning Kaydel.” Rey gets the courage to greet her, standing by the couch not knowing what else to do.

“Good morning, Rey. It’s good to see you back on your feet. I hope you had a good night sleep...” Kaydel says serving the food on the table, opening her eyes wide when she gazes at Ben. “What kind of ritual did two of you did last night? Ben, your heart?” She asks approaching him with long strides at him. Ben has a half-smile on his face, with dimples and all. He lets Kaydel place a hand on his chest, her face passing through all phases of wonder until she smiled with pure happiness.

“I have no idea Kay, but look at Rey’s skin!” Ben adds holding her friend’s hand and taking her to see Rey, who blushes ashamed of being seen in that way.

“For all the ancient gods!” says Kaydel walking around Rey, leaning over to examine the skin of her legs more closely. “They’re almost invisible...” 

Rey wants to die of shame right there when her stomach growls like a beast, making them stop their scrutiny over her skin. "I'm sorry..." Rey excuses himself.

“It’s ok, sweetheart.” Ben hugs her sweetly kissing her forehead.

“Don’t make her wait any longer!” Kaydel pushes them to the table, opening the chairs so they can sit down. “But you don’t have much time, they’re already on their way." She cryptically adds before leaving the room.

Even that Rey’s curiosity has taken a bite of her mind, the smell of hot food in front of her was stronger, starting to devoured the three dishes she had in front without any protocols, moaning with every bite. The flavours are intense, full of different spices, nothing compared to the old rations I ate in the dungeons. She doesn't stop eating until she's finally satisfied, her stomach a little bloated under her shirt. Ben eats more than yesterday, constantly touching his chest.

“Are you all right?” asks Rey when the joy on Ben’s face fades away.

“Yes... The engine had to start working again.” Ben answers, disappointed.

Rey rushes to him, standing near him: “Can I do something to help?”

“You’ve done more than I could ask you in one lifetime,” says Ben hugging her and sinking his face between her breasts. Rey lets her fingers caress his silky black hair, silky, perfect as always. “And as much as I would love to lock ourself up here, there’s a Resistance waiting for me.” He concludes getting up and leading her to the bathroom.

While stealing each other kisses, they manage to bathed and reluctantly dressed, Rey’s skin seemed rebellious to the idea of being trapped under the soft fabrics. The clothes fitted perfectly on her and were comfortable and flexible, hiding her knife on the back pocket. Ben remained in good spirits, even though his heart still dependent on the machine, but at least now he didn’t require spending much magic to keep it running and had more stamina. When Rey turns to leave the dressing room, Ben is ready standing next to her, upright and confident, wearing an elegant black trouser and black fitted sweater.

He grabs her hand and makes her sit in the kitchen, braiding without delay her long hair. Rey closes her eyes as his fingers gently caress her scalp, letting herself be carried away by the memories when she started living on the farm. They were greeted by his parents, Han Solo and Leia Organa Skywalker, who accepted her as part of the family from the first moment. Although Ben was often uncomfortable in their presence, Rey soon understood that it was because of how similar all the three were. Natural and confident leaders, they made even the simplest decisions end up in a battle of forces, where the unbeatable general Organa commonly emerged victoriously.

It didn’t mean that the affection they had to each other’s was overstated, but they showed it in different ways. Han Solo tried to get his wife’s favourite fruits, which were not produced on his farm and had to be imported from Tatooine; in addition to being present and well dressed for the dinner. Ben constantly fixed his father’s ship, the same one he used to rescue her from Jakku, battered by his travels around the Kingdom helping Leia get new allies for the Resistance; and taking care of the farm administration so his parents wouldn’t have to worry about it. Leia, although she couldn’t cook, always tried to get her assistant robots, C-3PO and T-2LC, to prepare their favourite dishes; she got her husband his favourite Corellian whiskey, as well as kissing Ben on the cheeks when he least expected it and reminding him how much she appreciated his work.

The last thing Rey imagined when she left Jakku was being the recipient of similar attentions. Han Solo would insist on teaching her how to fly the Millennium Falcon, his flying ship, and how to use technological artefacts. Ben would leave a bouquet of fresh flowers by her side every morning and were the first she would see waking up while he brought her breakfast to bed. But the detail she always treasured the most was when Leia asked her to braid her hair. 

The general and head of the Resistance told her about the custom of Alderaan, the village where she grew up as a child, where women would wear their hair braided in intricate buns and updos, especially if her heart was tied to someone else’s. Although Rey nearly choked hearing that out of shame, Leia gave her the warmest of smiles through the mirror and, at that moment, Rey discovered how mother's love felt. Every day that Leia spent on the farm, she would always take a few minutes from her busy schedule to teach Rey how to braid her hair; and when Leia and Han left, Ben insisted on keeping up the tradition, fixing her hair before starting their training. Her memory fades when Ben kisses the crown on his forehead. 

“Beautiful as always.” He says with a dimpled smile. Rey gets up and peeks into the bathroom mirror. Ben had decided to make one of his mother’s favourites buns, two thick braids superimposed around her head surround it completely. Before she can thank him, he intertwines their hands and guides her out of the room.

The sunlight sneaked everywhere inside the apartment illuminating the walls that seemed lighter, their steps echoing slightly along the hallway. From the living room came the muted voices of three people who seem to argue but Ben stops in front of Lucas’s room.

“Wait for me here. It won’t be long,” says Ben hugging her and kissing her, Rey standing at her tiptoes and grabbing him by the neck, sinking her fingertips inside his hair.

“Wow!” Lucas surprised voice force them to break apart from their embrace. Rey can’t help but think how something always found a way to interrupt them.

“Good morning Lucas. Did you sleep well?” Ben naturally greets his cousin, passing his fingertips over his lips to dry his mouth. Rey does the same, facing away from the door, to ashamed to face the young man.

“Hello, Ben! Hi, Rey! I slept well, but not better than you,” Lucas comments without malice waiving his hellos.

“Touché!” Ben laughs loudly as Rey covers her red face with both hands, completely embarrassed. “You can do me a favour and accompany Rey while I attend our visitors,” asks Ben kissing Rey’s forehead, who refuses to move.

“Is everything alright?” Lucas asks right away.

“Yes, just some Resistance stuff. Nothing to worry about,” Ben explains pulling Rey’s face up by her chin. “I’ll be right back.” He holds his worried gaze and she nods smiling back; reminding herself that there is still a lot of things to resolve before declaring her freedom.

When Rey finally turns around, Lucas lets out a sigh of surprise, she flushing once more: “Rey! Wow! You look... Wow!” The young man runs out of speech while Ben pushes them inside the bedroom where Chewie greets them, laying on the bed wagging its tail.

“I’ll be back right back sweetheart,” Ben whispers in her ear and leaves, closing the door behind him.

Lucas’s room is much smaller than Ben'’s, but for Rey, it looks immense compared to her cell. A balcony let in the sunlight which seemed to welcome her with joy. On their left’s a smaller fireplace next to a fountain and a sofa, at the other side of the bed’s a double door leading to a privet bathroom. She walks in finding some courage to speak, fondly petting Chewie, who stretches over the bed touching her legs with its paws.

“When my aunt said Ben’s a great wizard, she wasn’t lying about it,” comments Lucas sitting next to the dog, Chewbacca dropping its snot open as a smile while both pet it at the same time.

“Why do you say it like that?” Rey asks unable to contain her proud smile forming on her face.

“For all the ancient gods! Rey, you virtually don’t have scars on your skin.” Lucas answers raising his voice.

“That isn’t true! I still have them all.” Rey replies outraged, lifting her shirt to show the large wounds on her abdomen.

“Rey, that healing speed isn’t normal,” insists Lucas, the tone of his voice becoming gloomier. “As a child my dad used to tell me stories about old Jedi Wizards, that when it’s concentrated on one being it can get out of control, making the user perish in the process...”

“Did you feel it too?” Rey asks him, recalling that moment when she and Ben let their magic flood them completely for a few seconds.

“Yes, twice.” Lucas rises and hugs her with such affection, mixing up her feelings. “Please be careful Rey, don’t let his guilt make him do something crazy.”

“I promise you, Lucas. I won’t let anything bad happen to him, or you.” Rey hugs him back. Like her, he’s just a young orphan trying to find a home in a world that only wants his powers.

“You’re a great sorceress too,” Lucas praises her breaking their embrace to gaze at her. Rey looks at him suspiciously at that commentary, sure that he has something else to add. “Ben isn’t the shadow of the man we met yesterday.”

“That’s due to other reasons.” Rey clarifies blushing once more, but her smiles fade away when the air trembles around them, Lucas hugging her scared and Chewbacca suddenly rising on the bed growling in the direction of the door. The black magic rumbles strongly in her ears, that visceral and primitive energy that she had witnessed so many years ago and which she didn’t wish to experience again.

“Stay here and don’t come out unless I call you,” orders Rey. Rey only manages to nod in response.

When Rey storms out of the door, she crosses path with Kaydel, who comes running pushing Ben’s heart monitor. She runs without hesitation behind Kaydel and they both rush into the living room, from where the dark magic emerges overpowering her senses, floating like black clouds obscuring the atmosphere in the room.

Rey freezes looking at three imperial guards surrounding Ben, who is sitting in one of the armchairs beside the chimney holding his chest with both hands. Rey always had the idea that the good things barely lasted in her life, and her moments of greatest happiness were followed by her darkest hours.

Desperate for not letting that pattern repeat itself, Rey raises her hands and releases her magic towards the soldiers, hitting them with a gust of air causing the three to fly out and land on their backs with a heavy blow. As she learned from Obi-Wan Kenobi, Rey draws a circle in the air with her hands pointing to the ground as she murmurs the enchantment between her teeth. Shackles materialize around the wrists and ankles of the guards, apprehending them.

“Rey!” Kaydel calls her, but Rey can only see Ben gazing back to her with pain. She rushes places her hands on his chest, terrified to feel that his heart isn’t moving. She closes her eyes letting her energy flow into his body to re-activating the heart engine.

“Rey,” whispers Ben squeezing her hands against his chest, causing her to lose the concentration opening her eyes. All the black magic seems to have faded away, the air’s lighter, the sunlight brightening Ben’s emaciated face.

“What happened?” Rey asks looking at Kaydel who is already next to them turning on the heart monitor and stretching the wires. Ben lets go her hands and grabs the long needles lifting his sweater with some difficulty. She backs just enough so that he can sink them, each needle in the right place, the humming sound of the monitor completely irregular.

“Nothing, he just got some bad news,” explains Kaydel approaching the guards, who had managed to sit down and look at her scared. “You can do me a favour and release them. As if I don’t have enough dealing with a stubborn wizard, now I have to take care of an impulsive sorceress.”

"Release them?” Rey asks in disbelief ignoring her last comment. She gazes at Ben; his face as regained some colour. “Are you alright?”

“Rey, please!” Kaydel insists, helping one of the guards getting up, a beautiful woman with almond smiling eyes and round pink cheeks.

“Rey, they’re friends...” Ben speaks with some difficulty, his heart’s beating out of rhythm, skipping several beats.

“What?” Rey asks sceptical, turning around to face Kaydel while she keeps talking back.

“They’re members of the Resistance." Kaydel helps another of the guards, a dark, muscular and attractive man. “Can you undo the enchantment? Or do I have to call a locksmith?” Kaydel insists, impatient.

Rey looks back at Ben, who has his gaze on her and nods slowly, visibly exhausted. She raises a hand and snaps her fingers; the shackles fade immediately leaving behind the scent of orange blossoms, her magic signature.

“Wow!” The three guards shout out at the same time, Kaydel helping the third getting up: a handsome, tall, long-haired man, with the stands of a natural leader. The half-smile he gives when nails eyes on Rey reminds her of the scavengers from Jakku. No doubt that man was witty and had a quick mind, his calculating look making Rey uncomfortable as she moves away from Ben.

“Mr Solo, where did you’d hidden such a mighty sorceress? Under the earth?” As soon as the brown man finishes his comment the other two guards punched him on his stomach with their elbows, taking out the air and causing him to sly with pain.

“Finn! Are you out of your mind?” The woman scolds him while helping him sit on the floor to catch his breath.

“I’m terribly sorry Lord Ren!” The other guard places his hand on his chest and bows his head. “I’m afraid that Sergeant Finn didn’t recognize Miss Johnson.” Even that it sounds sincere, Rey can perceive some sarcasm in the soldier’s tone of voice.

“See that doesn’t happen again,” sentences Ben closing his eyes making a conscious effort to regularize his heartbeat. Rey kneels in front of him, placing his trembling hands on his chest. “Calm down, I’m ok,” Ben whispers to her.

“Rey, let me introduce you General Poe Dameron, Lieutenant Rose Tico and Sergeant Finn Peckham,” says Kaydel as she re-enters the room bringing a glass syringe fill up with a purple liquid inside. “Guys, this is Jedi Sorceress Rey Johnson,” Kaydel adds pulling Ben’s sleeve up and injecting the strange liquid, he grumbles squeezing Rey’s hands against his chest.

Unwilling to wait for the medicine to take effect, Rey closes her eyes and concentrates once more on the heart engine that keeps fighting his heart to calm down, but Ben’s on the verge of a collapse, led by a wave of anger so visceral that it’s splitting it in two. Unsure of what she was doing, Rey lets her magic flow, spinning like spirals of light around her arms and entering his chest to tie down Ben’s magic, which dangerously flutters within his mind.

As if to recognize her, the dark magic swirled around hers, like two snakes dancing in the middle of the sea, mimicking their sinuous movements to merge into a single essence, calmer and less violent, more powerful. Ben’s heart immediately regains a slower rhythm, letting the engine help him maintain a consistent heartbeat, until, like that morning, his heart begins to beat on its own, causing the engine to stop.

Rey feels drained out, she has almost no magic left inside and her back hurt furiously for keeping that position so long. Taking a deep breath she opens the eyes to meet Ben’s, who gives her a broad smile. “Better?” She asks thinking how she’s going to stand without collapsing.

Like he had read her mind, Ben sits up with great agility, takes her under the arms and her help her get up. Rey believes she’s floating for a few moments, looking at him surprised by how easily he carries her from the ground and places her on one of his knees. “Like new,” he responds turning off the heart monitor and removing the wires from his chest.

“Why did you collapse like that? What’s going on?” Rey insists getting ready to get up, but Ben holds her by the waist and don’t let her move.

“Nothing. Now you need to rest your back. Kay, please...” Ben tells Kaydel, who immediately leaves the room with a quick pace.

“Benjamin Solo, tell me what happened!” Rey scolds him in a low tone of voice to prevent the soldiers from listening, but it doesn’t work. The two guards clear their throat uncomfortably, Finn covering his mouth to mitigate the ‘Oooohhhh!’ he drops between his teeth. Ben doesn’t react, keeping a stoic gaze at her, making her feel guilty for questioning his authority in public. “I’m sorry.” She apologizes trying to stand up, Ben holding her in place once again.

“Rey Johnson, can you stand still until I can put the medicine on your back?” Ben asks with a dimple half-smile. “Kay?!” He calls aloud, looking at the door when Kaydel enters the living room carrying the oil jar.

“I’m already here! Stop raising your voice.” Kaydel reprimands him passing the medicine and pushing the heart monitor back to the master’s bedroom.

Ignoring completely that they aren’t alone, Ben makes Rey turn to face the chimney, takes out her knife and puts on the floor near them. Making sure that she doesn’t move much, the slides off her vest and lifts her shirt long enough to leave one of her worst scars exposed, the only one that didn’t seem to improve compared to the others. Ashamed, Rey closes the eyes, clearly hearing a deep sigh from the guards. With great delicacy, Ben covers his palms with medicine and spreads it all over her skin, putting pressure on her lower back.

“Unfortunately, they gave me some dreadful news, and for a moment I let my old ways overtake me. But, as always, I’m better now because of you.” Rey’s shock to hear Ben explain himself to her in public; his voice unusually intimate for what she’s used to.

“That’s the fancy way to say that his excellency, Lord Kylo Ren, was furious and nearly ran out of the apartment to plunge the city into flames,” Poe comments without hiding a slight laugh, causing Rey and Ben look at him.

“Every time we meet you remind me why my father had you in so high esteem...” Ben says in a dry tone while increasing the pressure on Rey’s lower back until a crack causes her to drown out a cry of pain. “I’m sorry.” Ben grabs her by the shoulders and makes her lean on his chest. “I had to put the vertebra back into its place, I’m sorry.”

Disregarding keeping the appearances, she rests her head on his shoulder, while he grabs her by the waist, making sure her back is supported by him. “You haven’t answered my question.” Rey manages to articulate when medicine begins to alleviate her pain.

Ben lets out a deep sigh, placing his chin on her shoulder. “The six had escaped...” The words sound heavy in his mouth, and Rey feels she can’t breathe.

“Apparently, late last night a copy of Miss Johnson incarceration report reached each one of the members of the government and the Imperia Court, as well as all the solders of the imperial guards. The newly appointed governor of the Kingdom spent the night trying to find some legal loophole to justify his actions...” Poe rushes the explanation, Ben holding her tightly against his chest.

“Who has the power to send a copy of that report to all those people?” Rey asks just at the instant that Kaydel returns to the living room.

“The prodigy apprentice of General Leia Organa Skywalker.” Rose comments, her voice sounds sweet and sincere.

“Kaydel Ko Connix,” Ben adds, letting his magic flow through his hands, helping the medicine take faster effect on her.

“I told you we would take care of it,” says Kaydel with pride, gazing back at her. It’s at this moment that Rey’s mind understands why the way Kay braided her hair was so familiar, those are Alderaan hairstyles, the same ones that she had learned with Leila.

“However, everything has hastened...” Finn regretfully adds.

“What else happened?!” Ben roars releasing Rey with some despair. She turns around and holds his face still.

“Ben, please,” Rey begs him, Ben’s locking eyes with her and resting his forehead against hers, keeping his breathing under control.

“Rose, continue,” orders Ben separating himself and sweetly kissing Rey’s forehead.

“The troops revolted against Hux’s command, adding extra pressure on the Imperial Court to immediately suspend him,” explains Rose taking a step forward. “Before we came here, I received the call from one of our undercover agents, Hux locked himself inside the throne room with the six Knights of Ren...”

Ben immediately get up with her from the armchair. “What’s the state of all the provinces governments? How many men have inside the capital? Where’s Holdo?” That was one of Ben’s facets that Rey had least seen of him. Whenever it’s his turn to lead the Resistance, Ben always found some excuse to keep her away.

“Due to the curfew, almost all the troops are confined on the barracks, but the gross count we’ve is more than ten thousand in Coruscant ready to back up the Imperial Court.” Finn immediately clarifies.

“All the Provincial leaders have full control of their troops, and they’re more than ready to ratify a new governor...” Kaydel leaves the phrase in the air, gazing at Ben. “As long as you’re part of the new government.”

“We can decide on that matter later. And Holdo?” Ben insists, walking back and forth in big strides.

“She was outside Coruscant when the curfew was imposed, but now that the troops are revolting, she managed to overcome the blockade and is heading to the Court Palace,” explains Rose taking a smaller datapad out of the bag she carries. “The other court members demand the lifting of the State of Alarm and command governor Hux to meet them at the court.”

“That ginger rat isn’t letting go that throne unless we tempt him with a bait he can’t resist,” adds Poe blatantly crossing his hands.

“Don’t even think about it, Dameron! You’re here to take Lucas directly to Obi-Wan, not being creative,” Ben rebukes him, suddenly stopping to look eyes with the general.

“I didn’t mean to propose to Lucas, not when we have a bait capable of rising the dead...” Poe can’t finish talking when he suddenly begins to suffocate, trying to remove an invisible claw from his throat with his hands.

“I’ll not allow her to sacrifice herself for us again!” Ben yells with his hand raised in the middle of the air, using his dark magic to choke Poe.

“Ben stop!” Rey and Kaydel scream trying to get Ben to lower his hand, while Rose and Finn try somehow to help the general, whose red face shows his agony. Only when Poe is about to lose consciousness Ben stops the attack.

“This’s the last time!” Ben roars in such a way that Rey swears seeing Kylo Ren appear for a few seconds in front of them as she tries to separate him from the general.

Everyone else tries to aid Poe, Finn was livid, uselessly slapping him on the back; Rose looked at everyone in shock kneeling next to him and Kaydel was pouring a glass of water on the table. Although his neck must certainly hurt, the general keeps his gaze directly at Ben.

“You don’t see it! In less than twelve hours by her side and Kylo Ren manifests itself in flesh and blood.” Poe insists rejecting Finn’s help to stand up, all three guards standing close to one another. “We’re at the apex of the revolution and all we need is the last push.”

“She’s not a Resistance puppet to be used as you deem fit!” Ben screams again, hugging Rey to try to get her out of the way, but she manages to resists, fearful that he will get carried away.

“She’s the best card we have right now and you know it!” The general stands his ground, pointing at Ben’s face, while Rose and Finn hold him back; it seems this wasn't the first fight between them.

“I SAID NO!” Ben sentences detaching bursts of energy that freeze the air around him. Scared, Rey places her hands on his chest to make sure his heart keeps beating.

“General Organa would’ve...” Poe tries to talk, but this time’s Kaydel who stands in front of him and slaps him.

“Don’t you dare!” Kaydel threatens him pointing at his face. “You don’t know a fraction of all the decisions he’s made to keep the Resistance alive.”

“But?” Poe rubs his face with a half-smile, like the holder of the winning hand in a Sabacc game.

Kaydel takes a deep breath before facing Rey. “But, strategically, it’s less risky than using Lucas.”

Rey stands still, all the sounds around her fade away, completely unaware that Ben’s screaming out of his mind as Finn and Rose try to hold him down. The room seems to be suspended in time; her senses somehow feel different. She wonders if fear’s making her feel this way, but the magic vibrates inside her, as if’s trying to comfort her. She’s never imagined returning to that crystal tower, even less to the room where she lost everything. However, what Poe’s proposing had all the logic. Whether it’s as simple bait or as a tool to keep Ben alive while he defeats Hux, she’s the only option left to them. Closing her eyes, Rey tries to embrace her destiny with dignity; the good things never last long for her.

“I’d need a sword,” says Rey hugging herself to mitigate her hand's tremors. The noises return only to be silenced by her words.

Kaydel holds Poe while Finn and Rose held Ben, who grabbed the general by the collar of his uniform. The four of them turn to see her, but it’s Ben’s gaze that she seeks, and it breaks her heart. No trace of his fury remains beyond how red his ears are, sticking out of his messy hair. The colour of his skin slipping away, dropping his hand with resignation. “No.” He manages to articulate with his mouth, Rey’s sure that no one but her can hear him.

“And if it’s possible a robe,” Rey adds without taking her eyes off him as the soldiers cautiously release him, fearful that he will lose control again.

“Rey, are you sure?” asks Kaydel approaching her.

“Yes. We’ve no other choice.” Rey sentences and Ben, just taking two strides, kneels desperately hugging her.

“No sweetheart. Don’t do this to me.” His voice breaks and Rey hugs him back tightly closing her eyes, knowing exactly what he’s feeling. No one dares to speak or move, aware that she may not return alive from that mission.

When they hear footsteps coming down the hall Poe’s the first to react, approaching the door in such a way that he can hide what was happening. “You must be Lucas. Nice to meet you! My name is Poe Dameron and I’ll be in charge of taking you home." Rey listens them walk away with what’s a good attempt by the general to not worry the young man.

“Holdo entered the Court Palace. The court members are waiting for the official posture of the Emperor’s Right Hand.” Rose dares to break the silence.

“Tell them I’ll send the official statement soon; we need ten more minutes,” Kaydel speaks in a small voice as if it’s difficult to speak. “Ben...”

Ben suddenly breaks their embrace and stands up; Rey opens her eyes. At the moment their gazes meet, reality crashes down giving way for her worst nightmare to take its place. Kylo Ren in front of her, in body and soul, his opaque eyes piercing hers, leaving her feeling completely empty. “We leave in fifteen minutes.” The dark wizard orders striding off to his room, where after a few seconds they can hear glass breaking.

Rey tries to follow him, but Kaydel holds her back. “Let him go! It’s the only way he got left to vent and accept your decision.”

“His heart?” Rey desperately asks, feeling chunks of his pain creeping into her mind.

“The injection I gave him’s an experimental medicine to help keep his heart beating without the need for the motor and apparently it worked very well with whatever enchantment you did to him,” explains Kaydel guiding her to sit on the armchairs. “Rose, stay with her while I send the documents and prepare everything for us to leave. Finn, help Ben to get ready.”

“Me?” Finn asks in disbelief. “Do you want him to continue whatever he’s doing there with me?”

“Please! Don’t leave him alone.” Rey implores them and unable to hold her ground, she begins to cry. One thing was understanding what they needed to do, quite different was comprehend the price they both had to pay.

*


	4. The Chosen One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning: torture, violence, death, psychological torture.

Kaylen surprised Rey with a beautiful Jedi tunic of the same colour as hers, light and dark grey, dark grey trousers, and leather accessories. She dressed in a corner of the living room, disregarding that the guards could see her, hiding her handmade knife in one of the folds of the front. The most surprising thing was when Kaydel handed her not just any sword, but her own, a long silver blade with a pale, almost yellow wooden handle from a branch of her favourite tree of the farm. Just by touching it, the 1826 days that she has been separated vanish upon contact, performing various combat poses with ease.

Seeing her reflection on the windows, with that beautiful and distinguished updo from General Leia Organa, Rey knew with regret that she still had something else to do. Holding back the new wave of tears she wanted to shed, she removed the bobby pins that held the braids in place. Picking up the sword and without hesitation, she chops her hair, the long crinkles falling to the ground with a thud.

When she turns to pick them up, she finds Ben kneeling behind her, dressed in his black Kylo Ren armour and long cape blending perfectly with the black stone of the floor. His hands are hidden in thick black leather gloves, squeezing her braids tightly. Rey doesn’t need magic to feel the pain and anger dominating every corner of his mind. If there’s any vestige of the Ben she loved, it must be a tiny halo of light surrounded by the darkness that reigned in his soul.

Kaydel’s standing behind him, giving them both a sincere compassionate look, hiding it as Kylo Ren bolts upright, throwing her braids into the flames burning inside the fireplace. Rey tries to stop him, but she doesn’t have time, and when she tries to catch his gaze, he dodges it. “Lieutenant Tico, the handcuffs.”

Rose approaches immediately. Giving her a shy smile, the soldier takes away her sword and places thick handcuffs on her wrists, causing Rey’s heart to sink even further into her chest, wondering if she’s once again fooled; but that idea banishes suddenly as she sees how Ben hasn’t taken his gaze away from the place where her hair was reduced to ashes; a monster wouldn’t care about it.

The Lieutenant grabs Rey by the arm and guides her toward the apartment door, Finn opening it to escort them. Rey doesn’t dare to turn around, this whole situation was terribly familiar and painful, to see him once more assuming that personality that he deeply hated and brought out the worst in his soul. What very few people knew was why Ben hated being a double spy. When Grand Master Yoda and Governor Anakin Skywalker had gained ground to overthrow Emperor Palpatine and reinstate the free government of the Kingdom, the cunning emperor attempted to kidnap lady Padmé Amidala, Anakin’s wife, who was about to give birth the twins. She managed to escape thanks to the arrival in time of the wizard Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin’s closes friend and mentor, who prevented the imperial guards from taking her away, but in the struggle, she was fatally wounded.

With Grand Master Yoda help, Obi-Wan managed to deliver the twins into the world, but no matter how hard they tried they couldn’t save Padmé’s life. Anakin Skywalker, who in addition to being the Governor of the Kingdom was also a Jedi Wizard, he let himself be carried away by his hatred, the same that he worked so hard to keep under control. By it, Anakin wiped out not only Emperor Palpatine and the entire imperial guards that protected him, but also half of the capital and Master Yoda, who tried unsuccessfully to contain Anakin and his force. This’s what ended the Great War.

From their father, the twins Leia and Luke inherited being receptacles of magic, but not that dark magic that could be devastating if not contained. However, when Leia gave birth to Ben, all of her worst fears came true. Ben not only inherited the powers from his mother but all the dark powers from his grandfather. Within Ben’s mind existed a core of very powerful dark magic, so from an early age, he was trained by now Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, to control it.

With the arrival of Snoke and the circulation of the legend of The Chosen One, it became imperative to have someone powerful enough alongside the new emperor, but who couldn’t be directly related to the Jedi Wizards and the Resistance. Thus, at the age of 15 was born Kylo Ren, a cold-blooded and calculating man who let his uncontrolled hatred drive his dark magic to levels never seen before, earning the interest and reverence of Snoke, eager to have total control of Kingdom.

The trip through the hospital resulted in a single blurry image and before Rey realizes, they’re already at the gates of the Imperial Tower. All the guards inside stop their activities and firmly stand as they advance in front of them, some letting out expressions of astonishment when recognizing them. All surfaces are made of polished glossy black marble, furniture is black steel, there’re no chairs or signs, ensuring that intruders are lost within the depths of that great structure. Silence takes hold of that place, their footsteps reverberate strongly through the reception, Rose and Finn holding and guiding her to where Rey remembered was the primate elevator that led directly to the throne room.

When they finally reach the elevator, the double doors open and they’re greeted by Governor Hux’s hoarse voice: “But it’s Lord Kylo Ren in the flesh.” The elevator’s empty, steel walls and flickering white light panels. Without responding, Kylo steps forward causing everyone to follow but suddenly the elevator doors slam shut.

“Armitage, I thought you wanted to see me, especially when the members of the court are desperate to cut your head off.” Rey bristles hearing Kylo Ren speak so close, right behind her, as if he was her own shadow. Immediately the murmurs of the guards at the lobby reach them down the corridor, some daring to say out loud that they’re willing to support any decision of the Imperial Court.

“My dear Kylo of course, I want to see you, but only you and the one who caused this unfortunate inconvenience.” Hux’s voice comes from the walls, like an ominous invisible presence.

“My Lord?” Although Kaydel’s voice is perfectly measured and nonchalant, Rey can perceive the concern hidden behind that question.

“Lady Connix wait for me at the Imperial Court with the President Amilyn Holdo. Tell her that I’ll soon meet with her to resolve this impasse once and for all.” Kylo Ren sentences and Rey swears that he reduced the distance between them even further. “Lieutenant Tico, the sword.” He adds with an annoyed tone. Wasting no time, the guards obey and leave with Kaydel.

When the sound of their footsteps gets lost in the immensity of the building, the elevator doors open again. “Welcome back Lord Kylo Ren, the once and only Right Hand of the Emperor.” Hux’s voice sounds louder inside the elevator.

Rey takes a deep breath as she feels Kylo’s large gloved hands grasp her arm and harshly push her into the elevator, its doors closing immediately behind them, feeling the pressure on her shoulders as the elevator begins the long journey. She remains with her head down, while he pushes her to a corner, her entire body hidden under his immense figure. He doesn’t release her, squeezing her tight, his anger flowing uncontrollably inside her.

“If possible, instead of throwing me back into the dungeons, kill me.” Rey doesn’t know why she says it out loud, but she does, closing her eyes in an attempt to appear in control of herself.

“WHAT?” Kylo’s roars, his breath hitting hard the crown of her head. He’s not just near her, he’s literally hunched over her.

“Don’t let me live...” Rey manages to say when an explosion of dark magic surges from inside Kylo paralyzing the elevator in the middle of its ascent. The force that surrounds her is incredible, she has never seen him use that power in that way, not even when he went to avenge her in Jakku. His gloved hand catches her chin and forces her to lift her face to him.

Scared, Rey dares to see him. His eyes told a two-part story. On the surface, Kylo Ren’s eyes are as opaque as the cosmos, nothing reflects in them, only darkness. But when Rey loses all hope of ending that trip, the soft brown and gold tones seem to surround the darkness, little by little, as if it had a hard time emerging. At the distance, she hears Hux’s desperate voice shouting at the Knights of Ren. From what she understands, they cannot see anything that happens inside the elevator, that has suspended in the air isolated from reality.

“Rey.” Ben’s voice hugs her heart, making her step forward.

"Ben." Rey stands on her tiptoes and kisses him one last time.

The violence and anger swirling around them force Rey to hesitate and pull away, but Kylo’s hands grasp her with ruthless force and kiss her furiously, pushing his way inside her mouth mercilessly. Rey tries to get loose from his embrace; she didn’t want to say goodbye to that thing, she didn’t want their last memory together was in the lips of that monster.

“No!” Rey manages to break free using magic to remove the handcuffs and taking out her knife, placing against his neck. “I’ll say goodbye to you later.”

Snickering and with a single movement of his finger, Kylo Ren energy hits her hand and the knife flying out without offering any resistance. She backs to a corner while Kylo continues laughing like a maniac on the brink of insanity, his hands slamming the walls of the elevator next to her head, Rey closing her eyes praying for a quick death.

The laughter fades and they’re suspended in silence, broken by muffled screams from Hux demanding that Kylo releases the elevator. “This will be the last time you say that in my presence.” Rey snaps her eyes open when she hears Ben again.

As if he was making a superhuman effort to manifest before her, Ben is only visible within her mind, as the great Lord Kylo Ren refused to give him space. Rey stretches out and touches his heart, pleased to feel it beating without the need for that machine. “It doesn’t matter what you hear me say up there; you’re going to live.” Ben sentences so confidently that Rey can’t help but believe him, letting the tears run free.

With some difficulty, Ben wipes her tears, the movement is somewhat rough. Closing the distance between them he steals a kiss, fierce, violent, but it tastes as Ben. Rey kisses him back, letting her magic surge out and mix with his. Kylo growls away from her as if her magic hurts him.

“The handcuffs, Miss Johnson,” orders Kylo Ren with a half-smile painted on his face. Rey bends down and puts them on without protest, but when she’s about to get up, his hands grab her shoulders and hold her into place. “From now on, your life belongs to me. Don’t forget it,” sentences Kylo, digging his fingers into her shoulders.

“Yes, my Lord Ren,” responds Rey, resigned to participate in an unknown game without knowing the rules and if there’s any possibility of winning.

“Good, Miss Johnson. Now, look at me,” orders Kylo Ren in a softer voice.

Fearful of what might happen if she refuses to obey him, Rey looks up to face that monster. Kylo smiles as his black eyes land on hers. “Good.” He repeats and, for her surprise, he releases her caressing her face, almost tenderly, snapping his fingers making the elevator resume its journey to the top floor of the Imperial Tower.

Kylo leans over and licks her lips with desire, leaving a wet trail on her face. Rey closes her eyes holding her breath, but she doesn’t move an inch of her body. “Good,” says Kylo in a throaty tone, almost like a cat purring with delight just before the elevator doors finally open.

“Lord Kylo Ren, welcome...” Hux’s greeting cuts off, and Rey wonders what could have caused the interruption, only for Kylo to let go of her face and pretend to close the zipper of his trouser. Immediately, Rey feels the heat rise up her cheeks, between anger and shame. “Now I understand the delay,” adds the governor with a mocking laugh.

“Get up,” orders Kylo, and Rey knows that’s addressed to her. Keeping her gaze fixed on the ground, Rey stands tall with what little dignity she has left, looking at his captor’s black armour. Immediately, a gloved hand other than Kylo’s angrily grabs her and stumbles her out of the elevator.

“Armitage, what did you do?” Kylo’s voice comes only a few steps behind her. She doesn’t need to look up to know that they aren’t alone, the six Knights of Ren guarding the room, one of them holding her with anger. Everything seems exactly as they left it five years ago, the same torches hanging on the walls, the same polished stone floor that shines like a mirror, the same giant windows with a panoramic view of the city hiding under the dark clouds, the same black stone throne at the end of the room.

"Nothing! Everything’s a terrible misunderstanding,” says Hux petulantly, sitting back in the throne. “Imagine what women are capable to do to get some attention."

The Knight of Ren shoves her and kicks her right in the lower back. Rey muffler a scream with her hands, collapsing to the ground unable to feel her legs properly. As soon as she hits the grounds, she hears a metallic hiss through the air and a hot soft drizzle falling over her.

“Kylo!” Hux immediately yells and the other Knights of Ren approach, just when something hits the ground with a thud, followed by a less forceful one that seams to roll next to her. Rey opens her eyes to discover the decapitated head of one of the knights without his helmet, looking back at her with a surprise expression on his face.

“How dare you!” Hux tries to speak, but a blast of energy surges from a point a few feet from where Rey lies. Dark magic roar through the air, like a pack of wolves advancing over their heads, encircling the entire room with a thick black mist. Rey hears the footsteps of the five Ren Knights retreating back to the throne.

"Oh, Armitage! When are you going to learn?” Kylo sentences and Rey manages to see him out of the corner of her eyes. He takes a calm, controlled step to stand next to her. Resisting the urge to plead, Rey takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. “You’re not worthy to play with my possessions.” His voice echoes in her ears, but Rey doesn’t get a chance to listen any further, Kylo’s boot hits her lower back, causing her to scream in pain.

“Hush, Miss Johnson! You know very well how much I dislike unnecessary sounds.” Rey tries to move her arms to silence her sobs, but the pain’s unbearable. With the second stomp, Rey makes her best effort to stifle the scream, feeling a cracking sound at the exact point on where the vertebra tends to slip out of place. Immediately, a new blaze of energy surges from Kylo, but when it touches her, it feels as caressing her, slightly numbing her pain.

“Good Miss Johnson. That's better,” says Kylo placing the top of his boot under her stomach forcing Rey to roll over. Her sword remains on his hands pouring the blood of the beheaded knight. Bringing her hands up she tries to wipe her tears away, although all does’s spread the blood that splashed on her.

“Kylo…” Hux tries to speak, his voice momentarily betraying him. “You don’t hold any power over me, not anymore. I’m the one holding the power now.”

Rey takes her hands off to see Kylo Ren, she doesn’t need to be a sorcerer to know that you don’t dare to speak to a dark wizard like that. Kylo continues to smile with that grimace between madness and hysteria, his black eyes so opaque that she didn’t understand how he could see with them. If at any time he harboured light inside him, it had completely vanished.

“Are you sure?” replies Kylo in a low voice and Rey can see that black energy surging from him like a column of air hitting directly the five Knights of Ren, the soldiers crashing against the wall. 

“Get up,” orders Kylo and Rey can do nothing but obey. Once on her feet, she can see Hux as pale as a ghost, so small and fragile sitting on the throne, his orange hair is the only point of colour in all that place. The Knights of Ren try to get up, but something keeps pinning them to the ground.

“You’re nothing more the lapdog of the former Emperor…” Hux says in a higher voice, clutching the armrests in despair.

Kylo Ren’s roar scares Rey. She dares to kneel next to him, covering her face with her arms, although what she really wanted was to block her ears and not listen how Kylo choke the five Knights of Ren with his dark magic at the same time. If she was already terrified of him, now there was no word to describe the fear he produced in her.

"Let them go! I order you to release them immediately!” Hux screams out of his longs, her face turning as red as his hair.

“Are you sure you want me to do that?” Kylo replies with a soft controlled voice, as he wasn’t doing any effort at the moment.

"Put them down! I order you to release them!” Hux insist, just to receive in response the loud crack from the five necks as their vertebrae break, followed by the sound of their bodies falling inert to the ground. “How dare you!” Hux manage to say, just to squish himself over the throne when the air begins to swirl around the room, the thick mist completely obscuring the view of the walls and windows.

“Armitage, Armitage, Armitage. I warned you five years ago that you couldn't put a finger on Miss Johnson.” Kylo’s voice sounds like a lion, thick and harsh as if he’s speaking showing his teeth. “Now you’re going to suffer the consequences for disobeying me.”

“I believe we can settle thing down.” Hux finds the courage to sit straight up, and Rey dares to peek between her fingers. The new governor is gazing back at Kylo with what seems his best attempt to look authoritarian. “You’ll help me stay in power and I can give you the Chosen One in return,” explains Hux moving his hands nervously on the air. 

“Tell me something first, Armitage,” asks Kylo Ren making a grin again. “Why did you open the dungeons?”

“No! It wasn’t me! No, those are the traitors of the Resistance,” Hux responds but a blast of magic surges out of the mist and hits him in the chest, blowing the air out of his lungs.

“Wrong answer Armitage,” says Kylo taping the floor with the point of the sword. “Get up,” orders Kylo Ren without looking at her, but Rey stands up right away, keeping her head low. "Miss Johnson, who opened the doors to the dungeons?”

“My Lord Ren, most of the dungeons cells had been open for years. The dungeons entrance door was opened by the Imperial Guards, who left their post.” Rey responds, clutching her hands in an attempt to control the tremors of her body. Kylo Ren grabs her chin tightly, forcing her to face him. He gets close enough to smell the crown of her head, like a beast trailing a scent.

“Good Miss Johnson. You’re a fast learner,” sentences Kylo Ren letting his hand slip down to her neck. Rey parts her lips for air and he smiles. "Good! That’s how you should behave. I like it this way.” He adds slightly squeezing her neck and she feels magic that travels through the surface of her skin, like tar, going through every corner of her body and making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, pleasure and pain mixing in her thoughts. She would die before letting that monster take advantage of that situation.

“That’s not what happened!” says Hux in a small voice, standing awkwardly on the throne in an attempt to look bigger.

“I got a pretty good idea of what really happened yesterday,” says Kylo unexpectedly letting her go. Rey gazes the ground, silently begging the ancient gods to end all of this at once, as Kylo walks around her. “I believe, Armitage, that you thought I was too weak to oppose you. In order to finish me once and for all, you needed to create a situation where I was forced to leave my sanctuary at the hospital and for that purpose you opened the dungeons, knowing that Miss Johnson would somehow find her way to me. You declared the State of Alert and the curfew with the hope to catch us breaking the law, giving you total legitimacy to rule the Kingdom without the blessing of the Emperor’s Right Hand.”

Rey dares to look at Kylo, that idea never crossed her mind. But what she can’t understand yet is why Hux kidnapped Lucas so many years ago. Kylo Ren gazes directly a Hux, who seems somehow smaller, his face a mixture of surprise and disbelieve, but doesn’t have the nerve to deny anything.

“Tell me, Armitage, where’s that Chosen One of yours?” asks Kylo Ren with a terrifying smirk appearing in his face.

“He’s in a safe location to prevent the prophecy to be fulfilled,” Hux responds in a clear voice. “And without him, you can’t control...” Kylo sniggers, silencing the governor.

“Oh, Armitage! The prophecy of the Chosen One is being fulfilled since the moment I plunged my sword into Snoke’s heart,” explains Kylo Ren so calmly that the weight of his words takes some time to sink into Rey and Hux’s minds.

"No! It can’t be! NO!" Hux yells at the same instant that Rey feels the handcuffs open, freeing her.

“Luke Skywalker, my uncle, knew that the only way to protect the true Chosen One was to hide him at plain sight, right under the noses of those who sought to destroy him,” says Kylo while his hands travel slowly over Rey’s body, ascending from her lower back to the nape of his neck. “No one would notice a ruthless assassin at the service of the emperor itself.”

Kylo holds her tightly by the hair and turns her towards him. Rey obeys unable to revolt, and when their gazes meet, Ben’s face manifests inside her mind. Her magic reaches him, their thoughts becoming one. “Now sweetheart.” His voice echoes inside her at the same time that Ben places the swords in her hands.

Without time to process what Kylo just has confessed, Rey runs sword in hand towards the throne. Hux’s standing red with anger holding a strange device in his hand. She strikes him down cutting one of his legs and the governor falls back screaming in pain. She rests the tip of her sword on his heart, ready to finish the jobs.

“If you kill me, this detonator will signal an electromagnetic bomb to explode, not only knocking down the Imperial Tower but permanently damaging any machine within ten feet.” Hux threatens her, showing that little box with a countdown. Rey turns back, looking first into Ben’s heart and then into his eyes. It’s Kylo Ren who gaze back at her, anger surging from his body with such fury that it darkens everything around them.

“You still don’t get it, Armitage. You died 1826 days ago at the exact moment you dared to touch her for the first time,” sentences Kylo Ren and with a wave of his fingers makes the mist surround Rey completely and, against her will, the sword plunges into Hux’s heart.

The governor’s cry of pain is overshadowed by Kylo Ren’s roar as the bomb explodes, expelling a blast of electromagnetic energy that sets off a series of bombs throughout the entire building. Kylo falls to his knees holding his chest as his dark magic continues to surge out control.

Knowing that they had little time left, Rey runs towards him. Even though he tries to push her away, she sneaks into his arms and places her hands over his chest frozen in terror as she feels his heart paralyzed and the cardiac motor’s broken. Concentrating, Rey sends her magic bringing Ben’s heart to life, forcefully, while the darkness of his mind vibrates with madness.

“Ben! We need to go now!” Rey says, taking him by the hands and trying to pick him up. “Please!”

He doesn’t move, as if he’s trying to focus on something she can’t see. “On your knees!” Kylo Ren orders her raising his arms over them. Rey hesitates and he opens his eyes, red with anger. “ON YOUR KNEES!”

Rey obeys, placing herself close to him, feeling immediately how the tower begins to crumble while the floor underneath them remains intact, descending through the rubble which folds around them forming a dome. She clings to his chest, trying to minimize the space her body takes up, allowing Kylo Ren to expend less magic to keep them alive. With an incredible crash, the building collapses with them landing on top of it a few seconds later.

Kylo runs out of magic and collapses on top of her, letting go a long breath. Rey holds him as best she can, checking his heart, which is beating erratically. Fearing that the walls around them are about to collapse, she cradles him on her shoulders and concentrates, her magic sending all the debris flying away, letting them breathe. The moment she tries to stand up, her back breaks once and for all, she collapsing in unbearable pain.

Squirming, Rey manages to tuck Ben into her arms, making sure to send more magic to his heart to keep it beating. She can’t feel her legs, she doesn’t know if they’re stretched out or at an impossible angle. She knows that if they don’t get help soon neither of them will survive, so she hugs him tight, begging the gods to be forgiving of his fate.

Their strength keeps fading their bodies as the cloud of dust begins to settle over them, accompanied by an unexpected drizzle. The cold drops help her stay awake, while she tries in vain to protect him from the cold, but he weights too much for her. She begins to shiver uncontrollably, they don’t have much time left.

"BEEEEEENNNNN! REEEEEEYYYYYY!" The voices of Poe and Finn sound like one, accompanied by hundreds of footsteps scaling the tower’s rubble around them.

Thankful to the ancient gods for sending the rain, Rey lets her powers kick in and raises her hand, materializing a small flame from the thin air, hovering over them like a timid beacon amidst the storm. "WE’RE HERE!" She screams in despair.

After a few seconds, she can see above her head as both soldiers make their way followed by a large group of guards, Rey realizing that Ben must have held the entire building until all the troops escaped. With what’s left of her will, she passes Ben her last vestiges of magic that she retained to ensure that his heart continues to beat until he receives help.

“Save him,” Rey tells Poe when he grabs Ben from her arms. She lets herself be carried away by the shadows.

*


	5. The New Begining

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: sickness and fragility.

“Rey.” Ben’s voice reaches her like distant echoes that travel hiding in the wind over the green meadow that surrounds her. “Rey.” She’s sitting in the lotus pose while her mind remains calm, under the warm rays of the morning sunlight that eternally bathe the tender grass she lives on.

"Wake up Rey. I haven’t seen your eyes or heard your voice for a hundred days. Come back to me sweetheart, please. " Ben’s voice echoes louder around her as the wind wraps around her body like a caress. Unlike the other ninety-nine days, this time Rey does feel the strength to come out of that dream in which she remains suspended.

The way back to reality is peaceful, her bare feet leading her from the green meadow where she meditated to a clarity that’s taking over her senses. She first feels her body sore and tired, enigmatically tight, as if she’s inside an armour. The sounds of trees swaying in the wind reach her ears, with the distant laughter of children playing, the murmur of a stream running free through the earth, a machine humming low. Then she’s able to smell the scent of damp earth, wet grass, apple blossoms and Ben’s skin makes her feel at home. The taste in her mouth is bitter and dry, of herbal tea and medicine.

Opening her eyes is difficult, Rey blinking several times to get a better focus. When she’s able to see properly, she understands that she’s lying on her back with no pillow under her head. Above her, a vaulted soft green ceiling crossed by four beams carved with orange leaves and orange blossoms, enigmatically familiar. Small rainbows painted by the sun’s rays when passing through some glass and, due to their undulations, must come from a glass or jug of water near a window. The pressure on her body deepens below her breasts to what she thinks is her knees, but the idea seems impossible to her, she shouldn’t be able to feel her legs.

She lets her head drops to the right and can only see large machines next to the bed, some with coloured bulbs that glow like her heartbeat while other follows her breathing rhythm. Another is just a large screen that shows graphs, numbers, and endless information that she can’t read. The last machine is a series of cylinders with various coloured liquids that came out in thin tubes, from what little she can see they’re connected to her arm and abdomen.

Taking some extra effort, she turns her head to the left and her heart begins to beat out of control when she sees the rest of the room. Her eyes clouded with tears as she recognized her room on the farm. The walls are soft green mortar with thick wooden beams painted with small red, orange and purple flowers. A clay fireplace occupies the corner with a small worn-out leather sofa. Her small desk’s still in the corner at the other side of the fireplace, next to a small cabinet with a white ceramic ewer.

Moving her left arm it’s almost impossible over the sheets, soft and cold to the touch, until she finds the strength to lift her hand to her face with some difficulty. She squints her eyes getting used to the idea that she really was there, wondering where Ben was. Noticing an unknown weight on her ring finger, Rey checks her hand seeing with total amazement a beautiful ring of two round sapphires mounted on delicate gold lines, which twist on themselves to form the ring; Leia’s ring.

A new wave of tears takes over her, wanting nothing more than to sink back into that weightless sleep in which she was a few minutes ago. The heart monitor begins to emit an increasingly high-pitched alarm as she cries louder, struggling to breathe, but as she tries to roll over to turn it off, whatever is holding her against the bed starts pressing harder, holding her still, and the other machine makes a high-pitched sound hurting her ears.

At the moment she starts fighting against whatever is restraining her, a sudden voice paralyzes her, taking her breath away. “REY!”

Before she builds the strength to turn over, Ben’s kneeling over the bed beside her, grabbing her face and covering it with endless kisses: “Don’t move! Rey, don’t move. Everything’s all right”

“Ben!” Rey manages to say, raising her left hand and placing it on his chest, marvelled that his heart’s pounding by itself. “You heart!”  
“Yes sweetheart, you fix it completely,” explains Ben just to resume kissing her with such devotion that melts her hearts.

“Get down of the bed, Benjamin! Don’t you see that she can’t breathe!” The distinctive voice of the Master Obi-Wan Kenobi reaches them from across the room.

“She woke up grandpa! She woke up!" Ben pulls away smiling like she hadn’t seen him in many years. His hair is longer, at his shoulders. There’re no traces of Kylo Ren or the scar that must have crossed his face. He looks refreshed, his skin pink from the sun, his muscles ripped under his plain black t-shirt. That’s the Ben who visited her in dreams and shared her mind on her lonely days living in the desert.

“Yes, Ben. I can clearly see that. Now, could you please get down of the bed and let Ahsoka check on her,” adds Obi-Wan in his customary calm and patient tone. Rey wipes her tears to turn around and see the man dressed in the classic beige tunic and dark brown cape. His face hasn’t changed since the last time they saw each other, except for his beard, which now is completely white. He gives her a big smile when her gazes meet. “Welcome home my dear Rey.”

“Thank you, master,” says Rey with a weak voice. Ben bends over her again, pressing his forehead against hers. “Hi, Ben.”

“Hello sweetheart,” whispers Ben gently brushing their nose. As much as Rey tries to find her magic to share it with him, her body’s empty with no trace of her power.

"Mr Solo, can I’ve some space to examine my patient? Please." A beautiful woman with dark skin and full lips is standing next to Obi-Wan, her arms crossed over her chest, looking at Ben reproachfully. Despite being older than them, she looks enigmatically young, her light eyes shining with vitality. Her curly white and blue hair is abundant and silky, arranged in two thick braids that surround her face, so long that reached her waist. She dresses casually, a white shirt over a green skirt that reaches her knees.

“I’m sorry Ahsoka. Benjamin seems as stubborn as ever,” adds Obi-Wan regretfully. “You heard her Ben. Please come down.”

Ben releases her face with some regret. Rey lets her hand slide over his black t-shirt looking for his hands which catch hers immediately. “Everything will be fine,” says Ben kissing her hand over his mother’s ring.

“Master, could you close the door once Rex gets in, please,” asks the beautiful woman to Obi-Wan walking around the bed and turns off the alarms of the machines which hadn’t stopped ringing. “Hello, Miss Johnson. My name is Ahsoka Tano and I’ve been your doctor since your accident at the capital,” says the woman smiling at Rey.

“Is it true!? Tell me, master! Did she wake up?” Lucas’s voice stops Rey to respond to the doctor’s greeting, turning her gaze abruptly to the left, but she can barely see Obi-Wan’s at the door.

“Lucas now isn’t the time for visits. You must return with the other Padawans,” master Kenobi’s voice sounds tired, the same tone that he used when he had to repeat the same lesson several times.

“Ahsoka, I can help you,” Ben tells right away, unaware when Rey closes her eyes.

“Please, grandpa! I want to see her too!” Lucas keeps insisting.

“I know you can Ben. But now that she’s awake I would like to examine her in more depth. It’s better that you stay by her side, where she needs you.” The doctor explains calmly.

"I’m not going to discuss the doctor’s orders,” sentences Obi-Wan forcefully.

“Sorry kiddo! I was picking some fruit in the orchards when I got the message.” An unknown deep male voice apologizes speaking from the foot of the bed.

“It's not fair!” protest Lucas raising his voice.

“We have to go.” Obi-Wan insists.

“Close the door, please,” says the doctor raising her voice trying to get Lucas to obey.

Rey’s trying with every fibre of her body to not scream, overwhelmed by all the conversations going on at the same time. Without a shadow of a doubt, her senses weren’t prepared for it, feeling guilty for trying to slip back into her mind and return to the quiet of the meadow where nothing hurt, everything was calm, serene, peaceful.

"SHUT UP!" Ben’s roar completely silenced the room. Though he desperately holds her hand, she can’t feel his magic nor can she enter his mind to make sure he is okay. Scared, Rey opens her eyes to find Ben hunched over her again without daring to touch her. “Rey, everything is fine. Please stay with me.” He implores her in a whisper, his eyes show how scared he’s.

The door closes with the subtlest of clicks as Ben sits next to her, leaning against the headboard, still holding her hands. Rey returns her attention to the doctor, who fondly smiles at her.

“Better Miss Johnson?” Ahsoka asks in a soft tone of voice. Rey nods immediately. “Can you speak?” The doctor questions her looking at the screen of one of the machines.

“Yes. Thanks for your help…” Rey’s shaken by how weak her voice comes out, Ben immediately squeezing her hand.

"You have nothing to thank me. This gentleman here is my dear friend Rex. He’s the one who found a brilliant way to keep your back secure while you recovers.” Ahsoka points at the tall man standing next to her. A white bear hides a wide smile, his skin is tan and his hands are muscular, as someone used to manual work. His hair shaved to hide the bald stop at the very top of his head. His denim shirt has some dirt stains in the sleeve, the same to his black trousers.

“Hello kiddo. Nice to finally meet you.” Rex waves at Rey, his voice so warm and sincere that makes her feel at ease.

“Nice to meet you, Rex. Thank you for helping me.” Rey’s greet him back wondering what would happen next.

“That’s what family is for!” Rex replies with an even bigger smile, while Ahsoka pinches the bridge of her nose and Ben clears his throat.

“Miss Johnson. Are you feeling well enough for a check-up? Or do you want to go back to sleep?” The doctor asks quickly, in a clear intent change the conversation.

“I think I’ve sleep enough,” replies Rey, this time’s her who squeezes Ben’s hand.

“OK then. I'm going to ask you a series of questions. If you get tired in the process, please, let me know,” adds Dr Tano leaning slightly as if she is looking at something inside her eyes.

Patiently and adapting to Rey’s weakness, Ahsoka launched a series of questions at her, at first about how she felt, if she remembered her full name, if she recognized where she was and who was “the handsome man that doesn’t stop gazing at you”, which makes her laugh to the fright of her companions, who restrain her body so that her movements didn’t extend down her still damaged back. Later, the doctor asks more specific questions about her senses, her appetite, checking her vision, the strength of her fingers, her hands, culminating with the doctor touching the extension of her legs, ticking places for Rey to recognize them. She answers correctly to each one for the happiness from Ben, who constantly kisses her forehead. And to a close: “Now, try to wiggle your toes.”

The sensation’s strange, the three of them surrounding her expectantly, their gazes fixed on her feet. As Dr Tano had explained to her, Rey concentrated on her toes, in the act of bending them, on the muscles that ran through her body and that helped to move them, insisting that she only have to move her toes, nothing else. After a long minute of trying and at the impassiveness of their faces, Rey squeezes Ben’s hand hard, looking for a sign. His brown eyes lock on her, and when she’s about to ask him if she was doing it, she feels it, her thumb shyly pulling away from the others, more reluctant to obey her.

Ben cannot contain the happiness that overwhelms him and kisses her in front of the others, who applaud for her achievement pausing abruptly, falling into an uncomfortable silence.

“Hold your horses, soldier,” says Rex clearing his throat loudly.

“Don’t make me remind you, Mr Solo, that Miss Johnson still has a long recovery ahead,” Ahsoka reprimands him in an affectionate tone, making both of them smile as they part.

“Yes, Dr Tano,” responds Ben like a child, getting out of bed when Rex approaches with a metal harness suspended from a robotic arm with an intricate system of pulleys. He and Ahsoka tie the ends of the harness to the metallic corset that Rey’s wearing and without warning, they lift her up and turn her on the bed, Rey gasping until she’s face down with her head hanging at the foot of the mattress, where Ben awaits kneeling. 

“That’s it. Try to relax now. They’ve to finish cleaning your scars and check that everything is still in the right place,” explains Ben caressing her face while she tries to recover from the shock of that unexpected aerial manoeuvre.

What came after reminded Rey more of her scrap metal years in the Jakku desert than a medical check-up, screwdrivers, drills, metal objects hitting the ground, but luckily it ended as soon as it started. “Rey, would you be in the mood to try something new?” Ahsoka asks kneeling next to Ben so she can meet her eyes.

“What?” Rey asks nervously.

“I’d like to sit you down,” says Dr Tano, and from Ben’s reaction, Rey knew it’s something they hadn’t done so far.

“Is it dangerous?” Rey finds the courage to ask, eager to change positions.

“It shouldn’t be wearing the support suit, but there’s always a risk,” Ahsoka explains, and noticing Ben’s piercing gaze, she is quick to add. “If I didn’t knew that she’s in condition to do it, I wouldn’t even consider it.”

“But do I have to do it myself?” Rey asks to be silenced immediately with a “NO!” shouted chorus by her three companions.

"No Rey. We will do it with the harness and pulleys. Under no circumstances should you try to move by yourself. You can move your arms with gentle movements, as well as your neck and your head.” The doctor explains sharing a worried look with Ben. “You’re still at a critical point, so the priority is to give your body all the time it needs to regenerate," concludes Dr Tano and Ben lets out a resigned sigh.

"Okay then. If you think it’s safe, I would like to get out of bed for a bit,” agrees Rey trying to smile at Ben, who’s staring at the floor.

“That’s the spirit!” Rex adds cheerfully bringing back the harness and the robot arm.

The manoeuvre’s less violent than the previous one, Ahsoka and Rex moving her legs to adjust them to the comfortable armchair that’s already near the balcony, which overlooked the orchard where thousands of fruit trees are in bloom. When Rey can finally see her body, she understands the gravity of its situation. She has lost a good part of her muscle mass and five tubes came out of her abdomen, apart from the one connected to her right arm and the cables glued on her chest to monitor her vitals.

“I know it’s not very fashionable, but it gets the job done,” explains Rex rubbing nervously his head.

“Don’t worry about that now Rex. I wouldn’t be able to treat her without the support suit,” says Ahsoka releasing the harness so Rex can take it away.

The “support suit” was an armour that went from under her breasts to over her knees, with thousands of hinges that the doctor tightened with nuts to fix it in a certain position. From what she could feel she wore no clothes underneath and a simple white fabric suspender concealed her breasts, sensitive from the cold breeze that sifted through the treetops. As attentive as ever, Ben covers her with a blanket, so that not only does she keep her warm, but she can forget about the devastation of her condition.

“It’ll only be an hour, two at the most if you don’t feel any discomfort,” adds Ahsoka placing the monitors behind her and reactivating the sounds of the machines, immediately buzzing. “Please, if you feel the slightest bit of discomfort, ask Ben to call us.”

“Thank you, Dr Tano, Rex.” Rey nods in agreement contemplating in ecstasy the sight that lulls her into dreams in her darkest days. The breeze brought all the sounds of the forest, the small animals scampering among the roots, the birds furrowing the blue sky, the river running through its entrails colliding with the rocks near the wooden mill, grinding every time it completed a full turn. She’s surprised by the voices of children as Obi-Wan tells them a story about the ancient Jedi Wizards, about the wolf that chased the sun and the harpy that chased the moon, in a constant cosmic dance, until the light and the dark reach the perfect balance that brings peace.

“Ben?” Rey calls out without realizing that he’s sitting on her left side, intensively gazing at her.

“I’m here,” answers Ben kissing her hand one more time.

“Who are those kids?" She asks turning to see him. As much as she wanted to lose herself in the balcony view, she cannot deny that she also needed to lose herself in him.

Ben explains to her that since the fall of Snoke, Obi-Wan and he were in charge of creating a network with other wizards to get all the children who display magical powers, hoping to find Lucas and protect the little ones from being sold to the Empire as slaves. Because the farm’s location was secret, it was the best place to hide them. Only Poe Dameron and Kaydel knew the existence of that place and the Padawans whom now lived there. They visited them every week, bringing medical supplies and making sure they’d everything they needed to live in complete isolation.

He told her about the state of the Kingdom, how the Imperial Court took over the government and dismantled the imperial structure. The former imperial guards became part of the new army, although many preferred to return to civilian life. Amilyn Holdo, one of General Leia oldest friends, assumed the position of Governor of the Kingdom, and although the court continued to press for Kylo Ren to be part of the government, they had to accept Kaydel Connix as their representative for life. In that way, she only required his signature for matters of importance letting him live in peace on the farm. Poe became a general in the newly formed army, designing a new structure and new rules, meaning that his job implies no more field missions and it’s driving him crazy, which Ben thought was fabulous.

He explained that Ahsoka was a Jedi Sorceress. In her youth, she was his grandfather’s Padawan, but when he lost his mind, she preferred to go into exile with other wizards outside the Kingdom, travelling through the Empire collecting new theories of the world, magic and the delicate balance of their planet. During her exile, she came across with Rex, a former imperial soldier that was expelled from the army after they lost in the Great War. Even thou they were on opposite sides of the war, they quickly found out they weren’t that opposed, and that they actually had more things in common.

For one, Rex was for several years assigned to protect Lady Padmé, Ben’s grandmother. He didn’t understand why the Emperor Palpatine would want to keep safe a person who’s trying to overthrow him. During those years, Rex came to be incredibly close with her and Anakin, beginning to questions the reasons behind the war and the invasion of the Kingdom. Before the end of the Great War, Rex was reassigned to serve in the front lines, where he revolted against his superiors, he’s expelled and ordered to return to the Empire.

He opened a mechanic shop back in Seelos, and when a beautiful sorcerer came asking for him by name, he couldn’t believe it could be the same girl that accompanied Anakin all those years ago. He gave her refuge and helped other wizards that came through, and with the years he became part of Ahsoka efforts to save all the magical children from the hands of the Empire.

A year ago, Ahsoka had a vision about Ben and that the prophecy was about to be fulfilled, so she decides to return to Coruscant. Rex came with her, feeling that he needed to finish what he started at the end of the Great War and somehow settles scores with his lost friends. They arrived at the capital the same day that the doors of the dungeons opened. Since then, they’d been with them, helping Master Kenobi rebuild the Jedi Wizards Order and taking care of Rey’s health.

As if their conversation had called them, Ahsoka and Rex entered the room get Rey back to bed, despite her protests to stay there a little longer. The process of moving her was easier, perhaps because’s no longer unknown, or because deep down she felt tired. Ben settled by her beside immediately, leaning against the headboard so that she could see him without having to move her neck. Ahsoka reminded him that he also needed to eat and rest, but they immediately left, leaving them alone.

Closing her eyes, Rey tries again to find her magic to connect with him, but her body remains silent. “Why can’t I share my mind with you?” She asks, opening her eyes to him.

Ben hesitates as if trying to collect his thoughts. “Rey, when the tower collapsed and you shared your magic with me, you just not only healed me, but you gave all your magic and your life for me.” He confesses holding her hand as if it were made of glass.

It takes a few moments to his words to sink in her mind, until realizing that she had died that day. "But I’ve listened to your voice inside my head all these days,” says Rey incredulous. “You told me how many days had passed without seeing...” Ben interrupts her, kissing her knuckles one by one.

“It’s Ahsoka who managed to resurrect you with the help of a complicated enchantment that she found in the Empire, but it required dark magic to be effective. I was able with her help to bring you back; however, no magician who has fully surrendered his powers can regain them.” Ben closes the distance between them and kisses her forehead.

“But, your voice...” Rey insists, feeling her heart shatters into pieces as she realizes that she’ll never be able to experience that connection with him again, those moments where they became one, their minds understanding each other and giving themselves completely to the other.

“It was me speaking into your ear every morning,” Ben adds. “Ahsoka explained to me that the last sense to be lost in consciousness is the hearing, so she recommended me to speak to you and keep you tied to reality while your mind made the return trip.”

“And our connection? Is it lost forever?” Rey finally asks, unable to contain the lonely tear that escapes her, marking her resignation.

“Only one part of it,” responds Ben stroking her cheek affectionately, capturing her tear. “I’m still tied to you, although I cannot see you. The best way to explain it is a constant emptiness in the back of my mind, in the place your mind always occupied. I assume it somehow allowed me to project my voice for fractions of a second into your mind while you were unconscious.”

“I’m sorry! I know this isn’t the life that...” Rey tries to apologize, tears rushing out of control blocking her vision. Ben kisses her, slowly, holding her to prevent more sudden movements.

“Don’t say that! I would’ve gladly given up my powers so that I could stay alive by your side,” says Ben over her lips, his voice travelling forcefully over her and generating a sense of peace, Rey’s wondering if he was using magic or it was just her desire to regain what she now knew was lost forever.

“All I wanted to do was save you,” confesses Rey taking control of her breathing as Ben keeps his forehead resting against hers.

"I know, sweetheart. And you saved me, not after the explosion, but from the first time you appeared in my dreams when I was a teenager boy fighting alone against a demon that refused to die.” Ben’s words bring the comfort she wouldn’t believe she could feel at that moment. Even surrounded by so many people, he had always felt so lonely, carrying the weight of the past mistakes over his shoulders, just to be thrown into the jaws off his worst fears.

Although her arm’s sore of moving after spending a hundred days resting, Rey grabs Ben’s collar and pulls him slightly. Ben understands perfectly her unspoken request, capturing her lips with desire. Trying not to move too much, she kisses him back as happy as she could be having her body broken. When the machines alarms go off, Ben breaks her embrace and rushes to turn them off.

“I think this time we have to be more patient than the last time one of us was glued to one of these,” says Ben with a wide smile, savouring his lips with his tongue.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” adds Rey feeling at peace. If her powers were the price she’d to pay to live with him, she would’ve given them up from the first moment they met.

“For you, I’ll wait a lifetime.” Ben sentences kissing her hand, and Rey’s absolutely certain for the first time in her life that good things will last.

*


	6. Epilogue.

Every morning Ben would wake her up talking at her ear, counting the days they’ve been together. Although Rey never regained full mobility of her lower back and required wearing the support suit for the rest of her life, within a year she’s able to walk with the help of a cane, wandering through the woods at dusk collecting flowers for their room.

When the days together surpassed the days they were apart, Rey gave birth to twins, Jaina and Hanen, a beautiful brunet girl with bright eyes and a golden hair boy with a charming smile, and from that day on, Ben wouldn’t let a single morning go by without waking her up with words of gratitude for making him the happiest man in the world. She would never be able to explore the rest of the Kingdom, the jungles of the North or the seas of the East, nor become a Jedi Master; but Rey discovered that she found what she always wanted the most, a home. And she found it in that farm covered in orchards with the sweetest of the fruits that she had ever taste, a home where she’s cherished, a home she’ll help to build, maintain, live in.

Life went on, the good days far outweighed the bad ones, where those who came into her life remained, and the farm was always full of children and laughter, full of hope. The sunlight always illuminated her balcony overlooking the trees and flowers, the wind bringing the song of the birds and the murmur of the river, until the morning of the day18,250 living together, Rey didn’t hear Ben’s voice. After so many years of struggles, her bodies had slowly deteriorated, once more she’d lost the ability to walk, Ben’s heart began to fail and required a new cardiac motor.

Taking some effort, Rey turned and looked at his porcelain face, now full of wrinkles and his hair as white as the snow that she’ll never get to know. Ben’s eyes were closed, there was no pain on his face, just peace. With some difficulty, she sat down placing her hands over his chest, motionless and cold to the touch, his heart motor paralyzed. Terrified at the idea of losing him and not knowing what to do, when she’s about to call her children Rey felt a flame igniting inside her chest and heard Ben’s voice calling her inside her mind: “Come with me, sweetheart.”

Surrounded by that magic never known by the other Jedi Wizards of the Kingdom, where her body was finally free her bindings, Rey looked at her room with melancholy, more flower paintings adorn the soft green walls, all made by her children while they were growing up. She’d nothing but beautiful memories in her mind, she’d lived a good life, and she smiles at the realization that she’s ready to leave. Taking off Leia’s ring and laying it on the nightstand, in front of the photo of her twins, Rey leaned against Ben’s lifeless body and closed her eyes to return to the clarity of her mind.

The journey back was peaceful, this time following a red ribbon that shinned showing her the way. As if returning from a long dream, her bare feet lead her to that evergreen grassy meadow where the sun never sets. There, at the end of the red ribbon, the Ben of their youth awaited with open arms and where once again they could connect their souls, light and darkness, turning in the infinity of the cosmos, the first day of their eternity together.

There were no bodies left to bury back on the farm. The twins Jaina and Hanen, now Jedi Masters and leaders of the new Jedi Order, would leave flowers into the wind every morning whispering their names between the petals, knowing that as long as magic continued to exist in any corner of the world, will also the souls of their parents, The Chosen Ones, the most powerful wizards that existed in the history not only of the Kingdom, but of humanity itself.

The end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like it. I will love to hear your thought about it.


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